Buffalo Grove Stampede - September, 5, 2009

The initial outing for Team No Pay 5k. Good conditions, overcast temp in the low 70's minimal fog , and not a cash station in site. Mr. Runs For Free (MRFF) and I (NoPayNoWay) met up at about 7:30 this morning which proved to be way too early as we spent what felt like hours contemplating our impending doom to rot away in No Pay 5K Prison if we were caught. Actually we walked a portion of the course keeping an eye out for "those to be followed" -hence our evaluation of the "tail scale' as well as those to be defeated - any person age 14 and below that appears to be in stellar running condition. We at Team No Pay 5K strive to never be beaten by a rabid pack of 11 yr old girls again. The gun goes off for the start of the 10k and MRFF and I decide this is the perfect time to lessen the load, lose some weight, empty the pipes if you must. I end up in a conversation with a fellow 5k runner (which is a great fear for those of us that do not intend to pay and therefore are not wearing bib numbers). All goes well and I make it out without having to answer any questions. We make our way to the start line and decide that it is best if we wait in the rear of the pack and allow all of the fools, sorry, those that actually paid, to start first. This proved to be the worst idea ever. The race starts and we might as well have been providing charity to the old folks home as MRFF and I waste almost a minute running sideways through a bunch of runners that I swear were either drunk or dead. Finally we find a place that we can maintain our 7:30/mile pace, that is once MRFF throws an old school elbow at an elderly gentleman nearly knocking his dentures loose. No harm, no foul, not even a sorry.. MRFF is there to run for free and he ain't about to apologize for nothing. The course was beautiful and probably my favorite of the season. We started running through a nice neighborhood with a good number of spectators cheering us on. I swear I could hear them screaming "Way to Go Team No Pay 5K, stick it to the man". Then it was up hill to a pretty cool bridge that crossed Rt. 83 and onto the Park and the woods. Why is it I always get images from that old Bill Murray Meatballs when I run in any sort of forested area? Ok I've given away age defining information, must stop here. Man I hate my parents for not sending me to summer camp. Enough.. So I had previously decided that I would really stick it to the man and run right up to the Finish Line so that I could accurately track my time. MRFF had a different approach as he jumped out a good 20 yards back and I swear he had been caught when I couldn't find him for 10 minutes after the race. I was out in the open amongst the wolves but I had no fear. We had completed our first No Pay 5K and in pretty good time. The watch said 24:01 but we're going to take a good 30 seconds off of that due to having to run through the initial pack of zombies. Overall, Great Success - Good Race, Good Conditions, Solid 6 on the Tail Scale. Next up my solo No Pay 5K at St. Catherine's Church in West Dundee on Saturday September 12, 2009.