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I’m back from the race. Official results posted here. I was 140th of 216 men. I was 30/47 in my age group, but my age group is 25-29, which is pretty competitive. Five of the top ten, including the top three, were in my age group. I finished in 55:04, first place was 31:27.

So, I’m pretty happy. I would do it again. My toe didn’t bother me. The dregs of my cold didn’t bother me.

Biggest bother of the day, actually, was the crowds of people for the cherry blossoms. It took us forever to get back home because of all the streets that were closed. If Metro opened a little earlier, I would have done that, but it was cutting it a bit close.

And now the Bay Bridge Run monkey is off my back. A few years ago, some friends and I planned to run it, and we never made it. We started training, and then gave up. But now I’ve officially done a 10k. Maybe next year I’ll be in town for the Bay Bridge Run, and I can do that one. I think it’s a tougher run – this one is all flat, but the bridge slopes a lot. Next year.

My race starts in about ten and a half hours. I’m honestly a little nervous. I’ve just had a weird 24 hour cold. I banged my foot on the door yesterday, and now have a cut on the top of my big toe. I’m not quite sure how this whole thing works.

But I can’t imagine it’s that difficult. I mean, you show up, you get a number and a little sensor on your shoes, you line up, someone says go, and you run. I’m really curious as to what it will be like. I imagine adrenaline kicks in when you’re surrounded by all those people. There are 793 participants, but many of them are doing the walk, not the run.

According to the participant list at the website, I’ll be number 360. That’s a pretty sweet number. So, if you’re going to be near West Potomac Park tomorrow morning at 8AM, you can come cheer us on.

Now I think I’m going to bed. Don’t want to be tired in the morning.

Perhaps the only good thing to come of this cold I’m coming down with is that it has given me the opportunity to sit in the sun and do some work at home, rather than at my desk at the office. I sometimes feel that our lovely sunroom is underused, as we spend much of the sunny part of the day at work and not at home. Not today, however.

Drawbacks include the fact that my 10K on Saturday will not wait for me to stop sniffling.

Edited to add: Very shortly after I posted this, the sun went away. Now it’s raining. Such is life.

Fresh on the heels of The Assassin’s Gate: America in Iraq, a new book arrived today from Seashell books via AbeBooks. While reading The Assassin’s Gate, I realized that it would be much easier to understand what has been and still is going on in Iraq if I had a better understanding of Islam. And, perhaps, of the happy fairy world where George Bush and his band of lunatics live. But I don’t think anyone has yet written a book on that.

So, I wanted a book on Islam. My sometimes-moustached brother-in-law recommended The History of Islam.

It has a nice inscription in the front.

Too bad I’m not Pop. But I hope he enjoyed the book.

Anyway, I have another book to read before I get to this one, but I’m looking forward to reading it and understanding a little more about the religion and the culture behind it.