Saturday was the Susan G. Komen National Race for the Cure here in Central Texas and once again I dusted off my running shoes to take part in the 5K.

Before I get further into this blog I need to lay a couple of things on the table.

First, our team (10 Cares) shirts were pink. We're talking pastel pink, the kind of pink you see and say, "Yup… that's pink alright." I wore the shirt for the race; I doubt that I will ever wear the shirt again.

Second, I cut the sleeves off of my pink shirt. As News 10 Sports Anchor Dan Ingham put it, "wow, you're that guy!" And yes, I was "that guy". I had shades, an Under Armor skullcap, an MP3 player and some hard-rock tunes to run to.

Third, "dusted off my running shoes" might be an understatement. Ever since I quit playing hockey in 2005, I have taken to running as a way to stay in shape. I run about three or four times a week at the gym.

Now that that's out there I will get to the blog.

I finished the race in 55th place, 8th place for my age group. This was by far my best time ever. I ran the full 5K in 22:18:25, almost 4 minutes faster than my fastest time.

I'm pretty proud of this accomplishment and I'm proud of my co-workers who also finished the 5K with great times. Eli Ross finished in 100th place with a time of 24:22:20 and Adam Winkler finished in 158th place with a time of 26:41:90.

As far as I'm concerned, a 5K is as far as anyone should ever have to run. Marathons (26 miles, 42.195 kilometers) are just too long, but the 5K is just right.

Running is fairly boring. At the gym that I go to there are LCD TV's you can watch while you run, I like to put it on "Sportscenter" and run. This is about the only way I can tolerate the monotony that is right foot, left foot, right foot, left foot, breathe; repeat.

When I do have to run outside, like in the Race for the Cure, I fill my MP3 player with hard rock. Something aggressive that makes you want to run and perhaps kick a trashcan or some other inanimate object.

That's about it. All in all, I had a great time at the Race for the Cure. If you are interested in owing a piece of memorabilia from the day I am considering auctioning off my pink t-shirt (sleeves not included).