"Get on the Truck" 5k

Runners from the 261st Signal Brigade, from left to right:
Me, 1LT Michael Olsen, MAJ Steven Willey, SPC Nathan Siebach

Well, the 5k went alright this morning, with 4 runners from my unit all placing in the top 250 people. Yes, you read that right, the top 250 people. Why would I care about such a mediocre performance as that? It's simple: only the top 250 people got the free T-shirt!

While it may sound a little cynical, I am not so concerned with my place in the race as I am with the T-shirt. If you ask Autumn, she'll tell you I accumulate free T-shirts, use about 30% of them, then complain when they wear out or she tries to get rid of them to make room for the influx of newer T-shirts. It's not just T-shirts that I accumulate, it's anything that reminds me of the moment, like the program from a ceremony or a receipt for a snack at a convenience store. That's what I really complain about Autumn throwing away, and with respect to the T-shirt for the 5k, it's not so much that I need another T-shirt but that I want another memory. The bulk of my T-shirts right now are from a brewery in Maryland called DuClaw (www.duclaw.com), which they give out on nights that they "release" a new beer. Sometimes it's a pint glass, and we have enough of those that we didn't buy real glasses for daily use!! With our move to El Paso, and now Glendora, I guess I'll have to find a new brewery, and with 5k races every other weekend here, I'm going to need a bin for the garage to keep all the memories ... er ... T-Shirts.

The "Get on the Truck" 5k was put on by the 57th Transportation Company - great job guys! "Get on the Truck" seemed to be their motto, and we found it a little strange for a footrace to have the same motto - isn't getting on the truck during a footrace for quitters and the wounded?