So I'm driving home Wed night at 5:30 when I start thinking. "Hey, I missed my interval workout today because of the going away luncheon for Tony, maybe I'll swing down to Wakefield and run the 5k, I have time. Sure, I was feeling a bit bloated from the Chinese buffet luncheon on which I gorged on many platefuls of appetizers, beef with broccoli, and egg foo yung. and maybe a had a couple libations, but I'll run it off. So I call DW to get the OK. I get home, rush around, get my stuff, go out for a quick 5-10 minute jog, chug down a cup of coffee. Evan tells me I need more than a T-shirt bc he was freezing at football practice. After the jog, I agree that it's damn cold and windy and I change into long sleeve technical and bring my gloves and running vest. So now it's about 6:10 and I have to drive about 20 miles to get to Wakefield, so I'm booking it down 93 at 80 mph. Turn in the Lord Wakefield w/ 5 min to spare. I see the usual 3 fast guys around a car and say Hi and go in to register. Well it seems that it's a Halloween run and a majority of the Mystic runners are in very impressive costumes and are running that way. So I'm out of place, but say what the hell, the other guys outside weren't wearing costumes. I sign up and head outside and jog around for a couple minutes. People start heading to the start. I've run this 4 times, but they now changed the course for the winter, and I haven't run the winter course. So I follow people over to the start. I'm looking around for the 3 fast guys, they're not there. Hmmm. Race starts. I settle into 4th. It's basically a single file run along the side of the road bc it's so dark you can't see shit. After about 1/2 mile, I pop on the sidewalk and pass. I catch the second guy at about 3/4 mile and pass him going up a hill. Now the guy leading is going pretty good, and I don't know how the course ends, so I just settle in behind him. Well, he slows up at about 1 1/2, and I'm still feeling pretty good, so I cruise by him. I see the 2 mile mark on the sidewalk and check behind me, nobody is anywhere near me, I'm all alone. What a weird feeling running in the front by yourself. I start running the wrong way, but one of the Mystic's with a flashlight standing on a corner quickly redirects me back on course. I didn't know where the finish line was so I just kept pace without any sprint at the end. Then I had the satisfying experience of being able to get a cup of water and drink it before the next runner finished and stand around handing out water as people came in. Moral of story: Run races with no fast people, and experience the feeling of finishing first. http://www.coolrunning.com/results/08/ma/Oct29_Mystic_set1.shtml

I gorged on many platefuls of appetizers, beef with broccoli

Nice job Tom, congrats! The broccoli might help to explain why nobody wanted to challenge you, I'd probably keep my distance too. So what happened to the three fast guys who weren't in costume?