PBW: Was I Prepared?

Before I get to the account of my performance at Tuesday night's Workplace Challenge, I should review the things I did and didn't do on the road to endeavoring not to be stopped. If you've had nothing better to do than follow the life of a 32-year-old office geek, you know that I've been preparing for a 3.5 mile race for a little over a month. It wasn't going to be easy. I'd really gotten lazy in the gym, skipping it entirely at times to get my work done, and I'd really fallen into a bad snacking pattern. I don't know what a 215 pound geek was thinking when he signed up for the race, but it was a 192 pound geek that documented the final preparations and assets this past weekend for today's Photo Blog Wednesday. I warn you in advance that some of these images will be disgusting, and unusually revealing, especially for me. I feel I must be honest and thorough in whatever I share however, and that I wouldn't be true to the spirit of this blog if I held anything back. I'm certain some of these shots will have people longing for my insect or dead bird photos.

Let's start with my sneakers:




Pretty bad, eh? Running 3 miles a day on a treadmill, 5 days a week, for years definitely takes its toll on running shoes. I should have bought new ones a long time ago, and probably first talked about doing so two years ago. If running took its toll on my sneakers though, what effect would that have on my feet?




I said it wouldn't be pretty, but I doubt anyone was prepared to see my thumb-heel. Gross. With the race two weeks away, and my feet falling apart faster than my sneakers, it was time to spend some money on a new pair.




That's more like it, eh? The one thing I learned though, the first time I ran this race three years ago, was that new shoes must be broken in. I bought a new pair the day before and tried them on, only to find they were clunky and uncomfortable on a run. I ran the race three years ago in the black sneakers pictured above, which were in much better shape then, but certainly not brand new. These Sketchers felt great in the store, although I felt very self-conscious running in place and didn't continue testing them once I sensed eyes upon me. I would have ten visits to the gym between the time I bought them and the day of the race, time enough to break them in. On day one, when they felt huge and loud, stomping on the treadmill, I was certain I'd made a mistake. Each day the sound became smoother, and the shoes started feeling like extensions of my own body. Soon we were one, and I knew I had the right “tires” to go the distance. But how was my chassis?



Faint if you must. I know it's not exactly ”All-Abs”, and would be more effective had I the foresight to take a before picture. Honestly, the before picture would be more repulsive. Suffice to say that the shorts I'm wearing in that shot fit snugly a month ago. Moving on:




Oh, yeah. That's right. One pale, sort-of muscular leg is all I really had going for me physically. There was only one step remaining. As you may or may not know, because it's probably not public knowledge, I'm a frightening geek. Therefore, the films I might choose to watch for inspiration the night before and in the afternoon on my computer at work probably aren't the films most runners would watch:






I only focused on the chapter list for The Transformers: The Movie because it cracks me up that they named chapter 11 “Swear Word”. For years fans who saw the film in the theater would vehemently defend the fact that it contained a single, minor profanity, despite the fact that it was absent from the video cassette and any television airings, even on Cable. A throwaway, insignificant line became so significant that it merited becoming a chapter title when it was restored for the DVD edition. I'm a loser.

So, after all that, the big question is: “Was I Prepared?” Would new sneakers, a reduced gut, strong legs and inspirational songs and movie quotes floating in my brain be enough to beat or match my previous time when I was in far better shape three years ago? The answer is...

...going to have to wait until tomorrow. If I promise no more pictures, will you join me to learn the outcome?