Well I did it, I managed to run 13.1 miles yesterday morning, it was quite an experience.
It all started on Saturday night when the boardwalk of Virginia Beach, normally a party town and a place bustling with human activity, went quite some time around 10:00 pm. I knew this night was different. I turned to my wife, Jenny, and said, "This reminds of the night of the living dead, I bet that at 5:30 am a group zombies will hear the call to congregate at the convention center..." I was right, long before daylight we heard the call to the convention centre.
There I was standing in all my glory wondering what would come next... 
my wife showed me the way as we ventured out into the dark... 
As we bagan the walk of the living dead we saw several others who also felt the pull, was it Close Encounters or the Living Dead, I wasn't quite sure, but the pull was there. Soon the few became the many and we were all gathered together, coralled by number and shortly after sun up we headed off on this strange journey, everyone running down streets, past people shouting and screaming at us as we went. Why was I doing this? Surely I could have been a "shouter" instead?
The miles added up one became two, became three etc. funny how it works like this! At mile nine I felt great, by mile ten I felt better, a fast 5k to finish... by mile eleven I wondered what that @#*% I was doing out here. No longer a zombie runner, my humanity had returned and the senselessless of this endeavour entered my mind. What was I accomplishing? Who was I helping? What was I doing?
All the same I made it to the end... did I beat my wife? Of course...
...NOT Needless to say, there was no way I coud beat her, but all the same it was a lot of fun.
So how did I finish?
Time 1:58:15 so I beat my goal of 2 hours.
Place 3173 out of 16170 so I was in the top 20%
Age group 404 out of 1239 so I was in the top 1/3
I have no complaints but next year I want to beat Jenny!
Where did Jenny finish?
Time 1:55:04
Place 2575 out of 16170
Age Group 127 out of 1380 top 10%!
How could I not love a woman like that!
You guys rock!!! Jenny, you are my hero...what a woman! Boy, do I feel like a slug around you two :-)
Posted by: Kelly | September 04, 2006 at 10:06 PM
Way to go Neil and Jenny! Very impressive!
Posted by: Chris | September 05, 2006 at 04:05 AM