Just BEGGING for punishment

So, on a whim, I google “Houston running calendar” and come across a little news item informing me that the Compaq Marathon will be adding a 13.1 mile event in 2002.

Not exactly what I was looking for.

I navigate into the site and find a searchable calendar that brings me to the 23^rd Annual Houston Eye Associates 10k run/5k run/walk.

 

For only $23 I can decide—once again at the very last minute—to run another 6 miles this weekend.

 

Hhhhmmmm….

 

It’s even chip timed!!

 

Or, I can go to Memorial Park for free.

 

But in an organized event there’s more energy and adrenaline and the time passes SOO much quicker and I get a number and a chip and it’s all mapped out with the 10k route (rather than just 2 stupid loops around a stupid old park) and the money goes to a good cause and there’s hoopla stations and literally twos and twos of people cheering wildly politely as I pass by in grand slow motion and it’ll bring my “organized” run count (excluding the Run The Woodlands events) to 5 (8 if you count the RTW) and, and, and…

 

But the park is free.

 

And we’re going on vacation later that afternoon…

 

And I hate running oh so very much…

 

And to PAY for the torture…

 

There’s just something not quite right about that.  But then again, I’ve been accused of being “not quite right” before.  And a friend of mine is an eyeball doctor.