No Bananas This Sunday!!

P and Kona: October Winners of No Bananas

Some of you may be wondering why you haven't gotten an invitation to No Bananas in a long time. No worries, I haven't removed you from my esteemed list of amazing runners.  No fear, I haven't been running this amazing race without you.  I just didn't think it would make for a very good warm up to the half-marathon I ran on the first Sunday of this month.  [Whoop Whoop!  Finally some distance!]

Others may be wondering why I didn't send you a nice email letting you know about my racing plans for the month.  Recently I was credited by one of my biggest fans as being "a believer in the element of suspense and surprise approach to event planning".  This is why you should never expect an invitation to the No Bananas 5k Race more than five days in advance.  So here it is...

You are cordially invited to the

 

No Bananas 5k

 

this Sunday, November 20th

 

8:30 am

 

 

on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail

in Chelmsford Center 
For  those of you who have yet to join this crazy bunch, here is a refresher:
This is a low-key fun 5k run. 

You might ask, how low is low-key?

No entry fee. No official time.  No t-shirt. No official sponsers. No water at the finish line. No bananas. Just a fun 5k!  
 Here are some questions that are frequently, or not so frequently asked:

 

Where do I go for this crazy race?

We run on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Chelmsford Center.  We most often park at Center Sports at 11 Cushing Place in Chelmsford.  This is right off of 110 in Chelmsford Center.  You could also park at the Bertucci/Java Room Ginger Ale Plaza at 14 Littleton Rd.  The start line is right behind Bertuccis.  Walk to the end of the plaza (by the bank) and there is a set of stairs that will lead you right to the starting line.  Don't look for the crowds of runners.  Look for a tall skinny guy and a "race director" holding a pad of paper and a wrist watch. Remember, low key.

What do I wear?

The answer to this question is obviously dependent on the time of year you ask it.  Prepare for the worst as there won't be a warming hut or volunteers to throw a foil blanket over you at the end of the race.  You can however warm up or cool down at the Java Room after the race with hot cocoa or ice coffee.

What should I bring?

Friends!  Oh, and you might want to bring a stop watch.  You never know when I might forget mine at home.  Or bring friends who have stop watches.  Friends are good.  Bring lots of them.

Am I expected to run fast?

If this excludes having fun, then absolutely not.  Have a good time.  Come each month and run a bit faster each time.  Cheer on your friends and other competitors (who will soon become friends).  No one has volunteered or is getting paid to cheer so we've got to take care of this ourselves.

Will my name be in the paper if I run fast enough?

This is all dependent on whether or not our esteemed press manager Mr. Patrick Cook comes to the race.  I encourage you to write your own press release and send it in to the local press if Pat chooses to sleep in.  This should by no means encourage you to run any faster than necessary.

Will my time be listed on Cool Runnings?

This question cracks me up the most. Again, remember low key.  One of these days I may remember to send in the times to Cool Runnings. I do keep record of all times on a very professional pad of lined paper.  I'm always happy to send you your times.  Just shoot me an email.

Will the race always be on the first Sunday of each month?

Most of the time yes.  Sometimes the race director totally drops the ball and forgets about the race.  She forgets to send an email and before you know it she realizes it's 8:45 on the first Sunday of the month and she is at the grocery store.  Opps. Okay, this only happened once.  The cool thing is that people still show up to race. Every so often, okay, more often than not, the race is scheduled for another weekend. You can expect an email letting you know about the race no earlier than five days before the event.

What happens if the race director doesn't show up?

You should run anyway.  The whole reason I came up with this silly thing was to get a race in every month.  My plan is to be there rain or shine.  If I'm not there, you should run without me and have fun.  Don't forget to have fun.

How can I get the word out about this fabulous race series?

Forward this message or send me your friends emails and I will send them an "official" invitation.

Does "No Bananas" suggest anything more than the fact that you do not hand out free bananas at the end of the race?

I'm a bit concerned with how many men have asked me this question.  Really guys. "No Bananas" means only that the yellow fruit will not be freely available after the race.

How did this email ever start coming to me and how can I stop getting this thing sent to me every month?

Hmmm...that's a hard one.  You probably mentioned to a friend of a friend that you like running or imagined yourself doing a 5k at some point in your life.  You can always send me a request to drop you from the esteemed group of athletes who receive this invitation each month.  Before you do this however, you might want to join us for a run and check out this crazy bunch at the monthly No Bananas Race series.

COME JOIN US!

Send you questions to Ruth at ruthwhalen@gmail.com