So maybe I feel like running again. I got back from the half-marathon and immediately looked for a 5K I could run. And I found one. It was up the street in College Park. It was called the Tri-Cities 10K and 5K. I thought about the 10K but looked at the race times from the past few years and wondered if there was a cut-off. I definitely wouldn't make the cut-off (everyone was faster than 70 minutes). But the 5K looked ok. So I signed up. A and D both declined because they both had to work.
So Friday night, I could pick up my race number. D and McMenamin drove me to the Airport Marriot. It was a little weird that Marriot was sponsoring the race (they even had hotel room specials), for the race but oh well. The proceeds went to a Charter School (I think Main Street Academy), so maybe a parent worked there? Not sure. I'm sure if I googled I could find out. Anyway, I left D and McM in the car and went to get my race packet. It was a number and 2 cookies (well it was one cookie, but I took 2...no sugar cookies, or I would have taken 3 so McM could have had one). And we went back home.
Saturday morning, D was running around when I got up...turned out he was late for work. He said he walked all 3 dogs so they peed but nothing else. Tjen he left . It was pouring outside. 52 degrees. I got dressed, and left. I got to College Park by 7. I couldn't find where I was supposed to go though. It was still pouring and no one was out, although the race path was very well marked. I pulled into the public parking and decided to check my email to see where I was supposed to go. Lo and behold, they had emailed where they were. I wasn't that far away, so I parked and walked to the Auditorium. OMG! The wind gusts with the rain were miserable. No way I was running. I got in the Auditorium and got my T-shirt and water bottle. They were really nice to give me a T-shirt because I left my number in the car. I grabbed a water, and went back to the car. Another wind gust. No way I was running. I got into the parking lot and someone in a car asked me where the auditorium was. Of course, I said, "Oh, I'm going to move my car over there. Just give me a second and follow me." What????????? So I drove closer to the Auditorium. I pointed to the lady where to go, and sat in my car. I texted with D for awhile saying no one else was leaving. I would be a wuss. At 740 I told him I was going to the gym (which he took for I was leaving and going to the gym we belong to). I went into the Auditorium and just stood there. There was a woman there that looked as excited as me to be there. We talked a little while. She was going to do the 10K but decided to do the 5K because she rather be in bed. This was her 3rd 5K. She just started running in November after she finished radiation for cervical cancer. She decided to lose weight, and she loved running clothes so why not wear them for real. A really cool lady.
Finally 8am rolled around and they said the race would go on. We all walked out to Main Street. The race was chipped timed, but I noticed there was no starting mat. Oh well. We were off. I started my watch where the lady who called start was.
We ran with the 10Kers down Main Street and separated at Rugby Avenue. This was mostly flat. Rugby seemed flat and slightly down hill. I was keeping a pretty fast pace, which I knew was dangerous for 2 reasons... wearing myself out and if we were going downhill, there was going to be uphill somewhere.
Mile 1: 11:30
We turned and had one more downhill, and turned again and up. I ran as much as I could and then walked a minute. There was a water stop somewhere there, as well. I was passed on the hill by some walkers. Eh. Turned again and resumed running. I passed some people. This was mostly rolling hills. Up, down, up , down. I should have looked at the houses. But because of the rain, I had a hat on and I wasn't to make sure I didn't slip on the road. So I know it is shocking, but I ran looking down. What seemed like an absurd uphill was Mile 2.
Mile 2: 13:15
I turned again, and the whole road was uphill. Really? I had a good pace, but I knew I wasn't going to hold it. My legs were tired. I now know where to practice hill running. Rain was rolling off the brim of my hat. Finally I turned on Hemphill (I remember this road because the same named road is on GT's campus, and it has Hemp in the name...yes, I'm 11 years old). And then we turned onto Virginia. This is the way I had driven to College Park, and I remembered another hill. Shit! Sure enough when I turned onto College, there was the hill. I focused on the cracks in the road and running to each one (normal wear and tear...the road wasn't bad). Finally got to the cop at the top of the hill. I saw the finish line. It looked like it was on a track. Hmmm. I turned onto the track and saw I wasn't at 3 miles yet, so yes, there was a lap around the track.
I got through the track and crossed the line. Their time was 40:07, mine was 39:55. In my age group I was 7/15. Not bad. I started looking for water, but didn't see any. As I was walking back to the Auditorium, I saw the lady I talked to before the race. I cheered her on, and she smiled. Then I got really cold and went back to my car and drove home.
I was getting ready for the day. So I took Lompoc and Scuttlebutt for a walk for their business, separately. SB is weird in the rain, and pulled me down the stairs. The rest of the day was spent on my back on the couch, since I hit the stairs outside pretty good.
Still happy though.
Weight I have lost
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
My 4th Kentucky Derby Half Marathon
So back in December (or November) D and I signed up for our 4th KY Derby Mini Marathon. It would be easy because the hard training starts right as we would come off our Marathon in February. Great idea.
Except I got sick. And D started working crazy hours. And we had a puppy that likes to play at night. And We drank beer. Pounds crept up on our butts. I went to the gym once in March...to pay the bill. We started again in April. And I got sick. And D started working crazy hours. And we had a puppy that likes to play at night. And We drank beer. Pounds crept up on our butts.
The week before the Half (I still don't like Mini-Marathon), I started training. I ran 6 miles. I figured out I ran a total of 12 miles since February 24. My friend Delane had once said, "You can fake 13.1. You can't fake 26.2." I decided that mean it would take me 4 hours to do the 13.1 and to just enjoy it. Except our friend V was coming. She had been training diligently. Oh well.
Beer is good.
So after Boston, I did answer a lot of questions about the Boston Marathon (basically, no, I was not there). I tried not to think about the fact that I was running into Churchill Downs. D assured me that it was an isolated incident and running I was not going to be hurt. So then I decided that he would get hurt since he would be spectating (after he finished). He told me to drink another beer and stop being irrational. Basically the week before the race, I didn't turn on the TV, so I just didn't have to think about it.
Friday came, and we drove up to Louisville. It wasn't terribly exciting. Due to Lompoc still being awake all night, I found out about Starbuck's Energy drinks. I thought that's why I was so tired. I didn't particularly feel well. We stopped and I had to drive when D hit a rumble strip from falling asleep. Then I found out why I was so tired...great... (yes, I'm 39 and have been getting something since I was 15 and still don't know when I get it...part of taking BC continuously, it just shows up). I basically talked the entire time I drove, and was worried that the tiredness would be worse as the day or the next day wore on... A little before we got to Louisville I felt my blood pressure plunging. I remembered my doctor telling me to just basically eat salt continuously (she won't prescribe something to make my BP high since stroke is in my family). We reached Louisville right as V landed so we bee-lined it to the Shell and got me some food. Potato chips rock. We met up with V and went to the Convention Center to get our numbers.
I was confused with check-in. They said no backpacks would be allowed at the race, and no bags, but there would be a bag check and camelbaks were ok. I decided none of that applied to me, so not to worry about what it meant. Everything was crazy in the Expo, so we just left and went to a place called Garage Bar. We grabbed some pizzas. They were a bit fru-fru-y. We had Brussel Sprout pizza. And the Sausage pizza had rapini on it. They were good though. We decided to go to Bluegrass Brewing, but ended up at yet another one (this was the 3rd one we've been to in 3 years). I think this one is next to the brewery because they only had 5 taps and nothing V liked. She looked like she was fading fast anyway, because she had worked part of the day as well, and was high on cold-medicine. So she went back to the hotel and we had a beer and called it a night. Back at the hotel we went to bed, only to be awoken by some drunk guys in the hall at 3am. I listened to them for an eternity (5 minutes) and then got up and swung open the door, and said, "Get in your room and go to sleep!" I realized later, I constantly tell Lompoc, "Get in your crate and go to sleep!" at 3am. They went in and I stayed awake. I finally went to sleep. I had a crazy dream that I called D and V on the phone to let them know I was in Athens, GA at the Terrapin Brewery with my friend I, and that I hoped they had a good race. When my alarm went off, I was a little disappointed.
D and I got up and started to get ready. I could tell I hadn't run in awhile. I forgot Body Glide. He remembered but forgot nipple cups (still makes me laugh). I took a handful of Advil.
It was supposed to rain so I found a hat, and then we sat around until 7 when we met V. She of course was completely awake and talking. V had a bag to check, and so she left us. D was in Corral B and I was in F. Neither of us knew how we got into those corrals, but eh. D walked with me to E and said we would go there. He knew I was still nervous about my BP. Right as we stepped into the corral, my contact fell out. So I had to put that in which took a few tries. I was getting more and more worried. They played the National Anthem, and then they did a Moment of Silence for the Boston Victims. It seemed unusually long. Afterward, D and I joked that we didn't hear V talk (you could hear some people...I think it was more that further down the Corrals they didn't know there was a M of S...). I got my music all set and we took the pre-race shot.
Then I turned my music on and it was Amongst the Waves by Pearl Jam which usually I listen to (on my old playlist) at mile 4. It reminds me of Guinness, so I decided I would be ok. The race started and my foot fell asleep. I was pretty sure I was going to vomit. I was also pretty sure if I told D all of this, he would say, "Woman! Shut the hell up and run!" So I stayed quiet. Finally we started.
Most of the first mile was difficult. I wanted something to drink. I ran down Main St. At Minute 9 I was so happy. I ran over to the edge of the street and walked for a minute. This was going to suck balls. Oh well, you can fake this, Al. I restarted, and crossed the 1 mile mark.
Mile 1: 12:54
There was a water stop. We ran more down Main and finally hung a left and another left. Mile 2?
Mile 2: 13:21
I noticed there were a lot of people out on their front porches. That was nice. I really enjoy the race support (although I may not say it enough). Seniors sat in parking lots. Church groups stood and clapped. And people had their children out to high-five. The group in this area is never huge, but support is support and it is much appreciated. We turned a few more times and were by the McDonalds. And then was Mile 4.
Mile 3: 13:22
Mile 4: 13:14
I had been taking Shot Blocks every 2 miles and felt decent. I found a couple to race with (they didn't know this), and kept a decent pace. I stayed with them all the way to Mile 6.22
Mile 5: 13:11
Mile 6: 13:18
10K: 82:32
I started wondering about the school groups. I hadn't noticed any. Maybe because I looked down and had a hat on, I didn't see them. D said later, that he didn't see any either. We understood if they hadn't been allowed to perform. I always enjoy the dance squads, the bands and the cheerers. But I get their safety had to be first. I thought about the news saying that the K-9 units were out. I hadn't seen any. I saw them last year. So eh...
Mile 7: 13:34
I hit one of the few hills in the place and took a Hammergel. Then I was at Mile 8 and Churchill Downs. Since this was my 4th time being here, I didn't stop to take any pictures. But I did look at the horses. It is also the only place I walked out of my 9/1 time (or 4/1). Going under the track just kills my legs, so I don't bother running. Finally we were out of Churchill Downs. I was a bit confused of where I was. I walked a little more because the road had sand on it, and I slid. Once I got to the real road, I resumed running. I was excited I managed to hit Mile 9 in time to run the marathon (had I been running the marathon).
Mile 8: 13:45
Mile 9: 14:30
It was during this time I noticed there was a runner that would walk until I passed her and then sprint until I passed her again. It really annoyed me. This went on for 3 miles. I really wanted to push her into a cone. Because she would run, look back to where I was, and then walk directly in front of me (but far away). So every time I caught up, I had to deviate slightly...then it would happen again. I hit Mile 10, and still felt pretty good. I was totally confused by this.
Mile 10: 14:29
During the next mile I could see there was an ambulance ahead of me, but couldn't figure out where it was, but it seemed to be a good landmark. I passed the Beer Team again (I passed around mile 5). I didn't take any. I took another Hammergel. The annoying girl was still playing her game.
Mile 11: 13:59
Mile 11 to 12 was uneventful.
Mile 12: 14:25
This is where all hell broke loose. I still hadn't gotten to the ambulance, but there was a runner down at Mile 12.2. She was hysterical. EMTs were by her. Her friend was with her. I don't know what her friend was thinking but it really looked like she was annoyed that she had to stop. I told D that that was SOOOOO me. He agreed. I passed them, and got to Mile 12.6. The Ambulance was there with a gal with an Oxygen Mask who was fighting no to get on the stretcher. She was yelling at her friend to go ahead. That friend wasn't listening to her. Then I went under the bridge at the convention center, and back onto Main (or was it Market?). Last few minutes. I could get under 3 hours. My legs were shot. I was paying way too much attention to my watch. At Mile 12.9 I told myself to stop looking at my watch. I finished up and turned to the final block (.18 miles). I probably should have looked at my watch. I really didn't speed up. My attitude was not to speed up but to keep the pace I ran throughout. Had I looked at my watch I would have thrown that POS theory into the trash.
I crossed. I stared at my watch in disbelief. I PR'd the course with a horrible time.
3:00:03. Oh my God!!!! 3 Fucking seconds.
Oh well. I'm still very happy with the course PR. I took 4 minutes off my best time and 6 off last year's time.
Mile 13: 14:13
Total 13.18: 3:00:03
I got my medal and found D and V. V PR'd and D said he just had a good time. We got some pics and some beers.
Afterwards, we cleaned up and got more beers (and fried bacon!)
Except I got sick. And D started working crazy hours. And we had a puppy that likes to play at night. And
The week before the Half (I still don't like Mini-Marathon), I started training. I ran 6 miles. I figured out I ran a total of 12 miles since February 24. My friend Delane had once said, "You can fake 13.1. You can't fake 26.2." I decided that mean it would take me 4 hours to do the 13.1 and to just enjoy it. Except our friend V was coming. She had been training diligently. Oh well.
Beer is good.
So after Boston, I did answer a lot of questions about the Boston Marathon (basically, no, I was not there). I tried not to think about the fact that I was running into Churchill Downs. D assured me that it was an isolated incident and running I was not going to be hurt. So then I decided that he would get hurt since he would be spectating (after he finished). He told me to drink another beer and stop being irrational. Basically the week before the race, I didn't turn on the TV, so I just didn't have to think about it.
Friday came, and we drove up to Louisville. It wasn't terribly exciting. Due to Lompoc still being awake all night, I found out about Starbuck's Energy drinks. I thought that's why I was so tired. I didn't particularly feel well. We stopped and I had to drive when D hit a rumble strip from falling asleep. Then I found out why I was so tired...great... (yes, I'm 39 and have been getting something since I was 15 and still don't know when I get it...part of taking BC continuously, it just shows up). I basically talked the entire time I drove, and was worried that the tiredness would be worse as the day or the next day wore on... A little before we got to Louisville I felt my blood pressure plunging. I remembered my doctor telling me to just basically eat salt continuously (she won't prescribe something to make my BP high since stroke is in my family). We reached Louisville right as V landed so we bee-lined it to the Shell and got me some food. Potato chips rock. We met up with V and went to the Convention Center to get our numbers.
I was confused with check-in. They said no backpacks would be allowed at the race, and no bags, but there would be a bag check and camelbaks were ok. I decided none of that applied to me, so not to worry about what it meant. Everything was crazy in the Expo, so we just left and went to a place called Garage Bar. We grabbed some pizzas. They were a bit fru-fru-y. We had Brussel Sprout pizza. And the Sausage pizza had rapini on it. They were good though. We decided to go to Bluegrass Brewing, but ended up at yet another one (this was the 3rd one we've been to in 3 years). I think this one is next to the brewery because they only had 5 taps and nothing V liked. She looked like she was fading fast anyway, because she had worked part of the day as well, and was high on cold-medicine. So she went back to the hotel and we had a beer and called it a night. Back at the hotel we went to bed, only to be awoken by some drunk guys in the hall at 3am. I listened to them for an eternity (5 minutes) and then got up and swung open the door, and said, "Get in your room and go to sleep!" I realized later, I constantly tell Lompoc, "Get in your crate and go to sleep!" at 3am. They went in and I stayed awake. I finally went to sleep. I had a crazy dream that I called D and V on the phone to let them know I was in Athens, GA at the Terrapin Brewery with my friend I, and that I hoped they had a good race. When my alarm went off, I was a little disappointed.
D and I got up and started to get ready. I could tell I hadn't run in awhile. I forgot Body Glide. He remembered but forgot nipple cups (still makes me laugh). I took a handful of Advil.
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| My race-day attire |
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| Me and D's obligatory hotel shot |
It was supposed to rain so I found a hat, and then we sat around until 7 when we met V. She of course was completely awake and talking. V had a bag to check, and so she left us. D was in Corral B and I was in F. Neither of us knew how we got into those corrals, but eh. D walked with me to E and said we would go there. He knew I was still nervous about my BP. Right as we stepped into the corral, my contact fell out. So I had to put that in which took a few tries. I was getting more and more worried. They played the National Anthem, and then they did a Moment of Silence for the Boston Victims. It seemed unusually long. Afterward, D and I joked that we didn't hear V talk (you could hear some people...I think it was more that further down the Corrals they didn't know there was a M of S...). I got my music all set and we took the pre-race shot.
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| Pre-race |
Then I turned my music on and it was Amongst the Waves by Pearl Jam which usually I listen to (on my old playlist) at mile 4. It reminds me of Guinness, so I decided I would be ok. The race started and my foot fell asleep. I was pretty sure I was going to vomit. I was also pretty sure if I told D all of this, he would say, "Woman! Shut the hell up and run!" So I stayed quiet. Finally we started.
Most of the first mile was difficult. I wanted something to drink. I ran down Main St. At Minute 9 I was so happy. I ran over to the edge of the street and walked for a minute. This was going to suck balls. Oh well, you can fake this, Al. I restarted, and crossed the 1 mile mark.
Mile 1: 12:54
There was a water stop. We ran more down Main and finally hung a left and another left. Mile 2?
Mile 2: 13:21
I noticed there were a lot of people out on their front porches. That was nice. I really enjoy the race support (although I may not say it enough). Seniors sat in parking lots. Church groups stood and clapped. And people had their children out to high-five. The group in this area is never huge, but support is support and it is much appreciated. We turned a few more times and were by the McDonalds. And then was Mile 4.
Mile 3: 13:22
Mile 4: 13:14
I had been taking Shot Blocks every 2 miles and felt decent. I found a couple to race with (they didn't know this), and kept a decent pace. I stayed with them all the way to Mile 6.22
Mile 5: 13:11
Mile 6: 13:18
10K: 82:32
I started wondering about the school groups. I hadn't noticed any. Maybe because I looked down and had a hat on, I didn't see them. D said later, that he didn't see any either. We understood if they hadn't been allowed to perform. I always enjoy the dance squads, the bands and the cheerers. But I get their safety had to be first. I thought about the news saying that the K-9 units were out. I hadn't seen any. I saw them last year. So eh...
Mile 7: 13:34
I hit one of the few hills in the place and took a Hammergel. Then I was at Mile 8 and Churchill Downs. Since this was my 4th time being here, I didn't stop to take any pictures. But I did look at the horses. It is also the only place I walked out of my 9/1 time (or 4/1). Going under the track just kills my legs, so I don't bother running. Finally we were out of Churchill Downs. I was a bit confused of where I was. I walked a little more because the road had sand on it, and I slid. Once I got to the real road, I resumed running. I was excited I managed to hit Mile 9 in time to run the marathon (had I been running the marathon).
Mile 8: 13:45
Mile 9: 14:30
It was during this time I noticed there was a runner that would walk until I passed her and then sprint until I passed her again. It really annoyed me. This went on for 3 miles. I really wanted to push her into a cone. Because she would run, look back to where I was, and then walk directly in front of me (but far away). So every time I caught up, I had to deviate slightly...then it would happen again. I hit Mile 10, and still felt pretty good. I was totally confused by this.
Mile 10: 14:29
During the next mile I could see there was an ambulance ahead of me, but couldn't figure out where it was, but it seemed to be a good landmark. I passed the Beer Team again (I passed around mile 5). I didn't take any. I took another Hammergel. The annoying girl was still playing her game.
Mile 11: 13:59
Mile 11 to 12 was uneventful.
Mile 12: 14:25
This is where all hell broke loose. I still hadn't gotten to the ambulance, but there was a runner down at Mile 12.2. She was hysterical. EMTs were by her. Her friend was with her. I don't know what her friend was thinking but it really looked like she was annoyed that she had to stop. I told D that that was SOOOOO me. He agreed. I passed them, and got to Mile 12.6. The Ambulance was there with a gal with an Oxygen Mask who was fighting no to get on the stretcher. She was yelling at her friend to go ahead. That friend wasn't listening to her. Then I went under the bridge at the convention center, and back onto Main (or was it Market?). Last few minutes. I could get under 3 hours. My legs were shot. I was paying way too much attention to my watch. At Mile 12.9 I told myself to stop looking at my watch. I finished up and turned to the final block (.18 miles). I probably should have looked at my watch. I really didn't speed up. My attitude was not to speed up but to keep the pace I ran throughout. Had I looked at my watch I would have thrown that POS theory into the trash.
I crossed. I stared at my watch in disbelief. I PR'd the course with a horrible time.
3:00:03. Oh my God!!!! 3 Fucking seconds.
Oh well. I'm still very happy with the course PR. I took 4 minutes off my best time and 6 off last year's time.
Mile 13: 14:13
Total 13.18: 3:00:03
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| Me and D |
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| Me and V saying the Spot-a-Pots rock! |
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| All 3 of us |
Afterwards, we cleaned up and got more beers (and fried bacon!)
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| Guinness and my medal |
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| Me and D |
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| V and Me |
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| V was done drinking. D and I weren't. I'm being Obi Beer Kenobi. I was sober...haha! |
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| Nitro Porter Sunday Morning at Cumberland Brewery |
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| Fried Bacon |
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Road to the Final Four 5K
Awhile ago (post marathon) D and I decided to run this 5K. We really didn't think it would be the first time we would run since the marathon. However, I got sick AGAIN! D started working all the time (or so it seemed). And remember we upped our babies up to 3. So there never seemed to be time. My commute home seems to have lengthened to 90 minutes on a good day. If D is still at work, that means I have 60-90 minutes of dog walking (and training) to do immediately getting home. And then dinner. By then it is 8pm at least. With a puppy that sleeps a maximum of 2 hours before crying to go outside, by 8pm, I'm a zombie. And to top it off, McMenamin is also taking Manners Classes. Luckily, I love my babies.
So Friday night came. Neither of us was that excited about the 5K but we knew we had to do it. So off to bed (and the couch, which is where I seem to sleep a lot with this puppy). 6AM Saturday came rather early. First, I couldn't find my running bra. Then I had to find running socks. Running capris...I found a pair of shorts. Good enough. Then what to wear. It was 48 degrees. I decided on a long sleeve shirt. So did D. He walked the dogs. I found my shoes and took the D-tag from the marathon off of them. D had charged both Garmins.
Downstairs...eat. Where is my iPod? Who knows. Where are D's headphones? He could borrow mine. We need $20 for parking (it was at the the Georgia World Congress Center which is NEVER free to park). So finally off we went. I forgot my phone, which was sad, because I could have taken pictures...
I got slightly lost on the way (forgot the street I wanted to go to was one-way). It put me at the bottom of the GWCC which made parking $10...hooray, and made no one around. The parking attendant told us where the race was, and off we went. There weren't a lot of people there. Everyone seemed to have Michigan shirts on.
The race started pretty much on time at 730 and it took you on the backside of the Dome over to Spring Street. There were cones everywhere to keep you in one lane. You turned on to Decatur Street and ran down to Peachtree Street. It probably would have been very cool if you are a person who runs looking up. I can tell you the roads are pretty nice. Some asphalt, some stone mixed stuff, and some bridges. Mile 1 was small hills (like I would have called it flat). I was really out of breath at 3 minutes in, but pushed to 9 minutes. When I saw how far I had gone, I decided to run to 1 mile. Then I would walk. The cops were really good. They let the cars go, but if a runner was anywhere near a crossing the cars had to stop. Buses too.
So down Peachtree. The water stop was the only "rude" thing. At a church there were a lot of homeless/less fortunate waiting for food. 1 block away (in visible distance) was our water stop. I think it could have been around the corner. But oh well. It was the cleanest water stop, I've seen. NO CUPS were on the ground. It was odd. Anyway, I took some water which I rarely do on a 5K. But my throat was dry. Turned on Trinity/Peters. I walked at the crossover from Trinity to Peters. The hill right there (haha) was killer. I'm so out of shape. I'm not really sure where we turned on Peters, but we ended up on Walker. By now I was a bit bored. I had no music. I did pay attention a little to Castleberry (the area), because it seems like a cool little area. By this point, 2 miles had passed. I was going a decent pace. I wondered if I would get under 40 minutes. I wasn't sure though. I turned onto Nelson which turned into Elliot. I was getting very tired. Mitchell Street was downhill, but I knew the finish line was above me (a bridge). So I turned and ran and saw a hill. I walked up it because my chest was tight. I could see that once I ran up it the rest was flat.
I got to Centennial Olympic Park Drive and ran. I crossed MLK and got to the entrance of the Dome. 3 miles. I knew where the Finish Line was. It really seemed it was longer than .11 miles. Kept running and saw the NCAA sign (this huge sign). Still no finish. I turned and saw the GWCC. Finally the finish. I crossed at 3.18 miles/40:11. D was waiting for me. We went and go my T-shirt and some water. Then we left. Then we went home and hung for a little while.
Then we went and finished my leg/started-finished his leg.
As you may know, if you have been reading for awhile, Guinness was my running buddy. She trained for 5Ks, 10Ks, my triathlon and my first half-marathon. There isn't a run I don't think about her while out there. I love my other babies (Porter (RIP), SB, McM, and Lompoc), but she was my running buddy/best friend. Anyone will tell you that. So my friend Dawn had pointed out an artist, Dean Russo. My brother went and got me one of his prints (actually he got me 2) for Christmas. It looked incredibly like Guinness too me. So I decided she was going to cross the finish line every time I do.
D decided to get one about how he feels about all of our babies.
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| McMenamin, Scuttlebutt and Lompoc |
Downstairs...eat. Where is my iPod? Who knows. Where are D's headphones? He could borrow mine. We need $20 for parking (it was at the the Georgia World Congress Center which is NEVER free to park). So finally off we went. I forgot my phone, which was sad, because I could have taken pictures...
I got slightly lost on the way (forgot the street I wanted to go to was one-way). It put me at the bottom of the GWCC which made parking $10...hooray, and made no one around. The parking attendant told us where the race was, and off we went. There weren't a lot of people there. Everyone seemed to have Michigan shirts on.
The race started pretty much on time at 730 and it took you on the backside of the Dome over to Spring Street. There were cones everywhere to keep you in one lane. You turned on to Decatur Street and ran down to Peachtree Street. It probably would have been very cool if you are a person who runs looking up. I can tell you the roads are pretty nice. Some asphalt, some stone mixed stuff, and some bridges. Mile 1 was small hills (like I would have called it flat). I was really out of breath at 3 minutes in, but pushed to 9 minutes. When I saw how far I had gone, I decided to run to 1 mile. Then I would walk. The cops were really good. They let the cars go, but if a runner was anywhere near a crossing the cars had to stop. Buses too.
So down Peachtree. The water stop was the only "rude" thing. At a church there were a lot of homeless/less fortunate waiting for food. 1 block away (in visible distance) was our water stop. I think it could have been around the corner. But oh well. It was the cleanest water stop, I've seen. NO CUPS were on the ground. It was odd. Anyway, I took some water which I rarely do on a 5K. But my throat was dry. Turned on Trinity/Peters. I walked at the crossover from Trinity to Peters. The hill right there (haha) was killer. I'm so out of shape. I'm not really sure where we turned on Peters, but we ended up on Walker. By now I was a bit bored. I had no music. I did pay attention a little to Castleberry (the area), because it seems like a cool little area. By this point, 2 miles had passed. I was going a decent pace. I wondered if I would get under 40 minutes. I wasn't sure though. I turned onto Nelson which turned into Elliot. I was getting very tired. Mitchell Street was downhill, but I knew the finish line was above me (a bridge). So I turned and ran and saw a hill. I walked up it because my chest was tight. I could see that once I ran up it the rest was flat.
I got to Centennial Olympic Park Drive and ran. I crossed MLK and got to the entrance of the Dome. 3 miles. I knew where the Finish Line was. It really seemed it was longer than .11 miles. Kept running and saw the NCAA sign (this huge sign). Still no finish. I turned and saw the GWCC. Finally the finish. I crossed at 3.18 miles/40:11. D was waiting for me. We went and go my T-shirt and some water. Then we left. Then we went home and hung for a little while.
Then we went and finished my leg/started-finished his leg.
As you may know, if you have been reading for awhile, Guinness was my running buddy. She trained for 5Ks, 10Ks, my triathlon and my first half-marathon. There isn't a run I don't think about her while out there. I love my other babies (Porter (RIP), SB, McM, and Lompoc), but she was my running buddy/best friend. Anyone will tell you that. So my friend Dawn had pointed out an artist, Dean Russo. My brother went and got me one of his prints (actually he got me 2) for Christmas. It looked incredibly like Guinness too me. So I decided she was going to cross the finish line every time I do.
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| Guinness Design inspired by Dean Russo Tattoo Design by Di Quartel Calf by Al |
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| Design by Charles Schulz Tattoo by Di Quartel Calf by D |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
New Orleans Marathon
Saturday before the Marathon, D and I got up and got ready to drive to New Orleans. He packed the car, while I resumed packing my clothes. We discussed eating at home or on the road. We picked both. We would eat once we got out of Atlanta. D grabbed some food. Without thinking about it (no reason that he should have) he grabbed me a Fiber One Bar. In the car, I declined, because I didn't need to add to that issue. The drive to New Orleans was relatively boring. I drove the first 300 miles, and he drove the last 150. I was glad he drove the last. The bridge of Lake Pontchartrain and I-10 by the Dome were frightening to me (I don't like bridges and I don't like overpasses).
Finally we pulled into our hotel around 2. Stress reducer! We would make it to the Expo before 5pm. A nice bellman informed us no rooms were ready but we could put everything in storage and go out. So we did. He seemed a little confused that our 3 days stay had 8 pieces of luggage including a foam roller. But eh.
We pre-checked in, and then walked over to the Convention Center. On the way over, I kind of looked for restaurants, but it seemed we walked past every chain restaurant that I don't particularly care for and no pizza places. We got to the Expo and looked up our numbers. There were 2 Als and 2 D's. So we just went to the Corral Number Pick up with no one in it. That guy wanted to know where our release forms were. So back to the beginning and we filled those out. Back to the guy. "Why don't you have a number?"
Because I don't know which one it is. "Over there," he said, pointing to a wall. "Over where?" D asked. On another wall was the information booth, so we got in that line. We got our numbers and then got in the correct lines to get the physical numbers. After that, shirts and bag. No one could tell us where to get our parking pass. We went into the RnR section and the was just a Cluster. Still no Parking Pass. A random Security Guy helped us out with that, since no one with RnR knew about it. We left that part of the Expo and got to a new Information Booth, and as we walked up, the Info Lady and Man looked at us, grabbed a book, stepped back and starting gabbing. Both D and I in unison said, "Really?" The other Info Lady helped us to where the Parking Passes were. We stood in that line, when a random volunteer saw I had a receipt, grabbed it and returned with our pass. Score! We looked at the 100 people or so in the line to get wrist bands for beer, said F it and left. Both of us thought the Expo was way too big. And of course we weren't going to buy anything BEFORE finishing a race. I guess we are weird.
After a few tries we found a bar in the Warehouse District, aptly named the District. The bartender was nice, it was empty and they had an Abita Oyster Stout. We had a couple of those. Then he told us where to get pizza. That didn't work out (the place was not open yet), so we found another place using our phones (or maybe a cab). That place was odd. It was takeout, but they had tables. We ate there (Magazine Pizza). The pizza was pretty decent. Then we cabbed it back to the hotel, checked in and got all of our gear. We watched a lot of TV. We discussed how we were getting to the race (parking pass, anyone?) and decided that D would finish the race, take a shuttle back to the hotel and then drive back to the end. So I packed the camera bag with the parking pass, and we went to bed.
For the next 7 hours, both of us just layed there. Went to the bathroom a few times, tossed and turned, but sleep was not to be had. I think we each got about 2 hours. My alarm went off at 5. I got up and figured out what to wear, and peed about 20 times (nervous). I had a Clif Bar. D got up at 530 and we both got ready, packing our food and Camelbak (me) and Fuel Belt (him). His nutrition looks way different than mine.
We got everything packed. I used the bathroom about 80 more times, and finally we were ready.
I worked on finishing my last Clif Bar, and off we went. The hotel was full of runners. We were only a block from the starting line, so we walked over there and stood. We found the corrals. D knew I was terrified. He said he would get in my corral with me (he was in the 6th Corral, I was in the 15th). We got to the 11th or the 12th Corral and stopped there. We really couldn't tell which one it was, and D knew I was seriously having issues with the 7 hour time limit. RnR took a picture of us.
Finally the corrals started moving. Finally the corral we were in started and we were on our way. I just kind of ran. I had to pee (of course). I really didn't focus on much. I periodically checked for my back-up iPod. About .5 mile in, I realized it wasn't there. This lady who looked way out of breath, hit me on the shoulder to tell me I dropped it about the same time. She had picked it up. I was thankful for her, but praying this wasn't an omen.
We turned and soon were by the Exxon and my watch dinged. I did my 9/1 thing. Most of the people around me had on fluorescent green numbers (half). I tried to look for the purple numbers (full). I think we got to a water/Gatorade stop at Mile 2.5. I was seriously shocked at how poorly run it was. There was no water out. You had to wait as they poured each person a cup. Seriously? I did get one. This was because my friend Elizabeth had told me to take everything they give you. Then I got a Gatorade. I drank everything and then went about my way. (D said they had people handing out water with no waiting issues for him). They had bands playing but I really couldn't hear. A lot of MS and HS cheerleaders were out. That was nice. My distances weren't matching the race distances (I was .1 miles ahead).
Mile 1: 12:04 (SLOW DOWN!!!!)
Mile 2: 13:39
Mile 3: 13:43
5K Total: 42:01
I had 2 Bloks here although I didn't think I needed them. Mile 4 and 5 were a repeat of 2 and 3 but the other way (out and back to Loyola University). The water station at Mile 5 was the same issue. This really surprised me being how big a race series this was. It wasn't worrisome though, because I was drinking from my Camelbak. I hit mile 6. I wondered what my PR was on a 10K. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to hit it. Especially with the .1 mile thing. That kept me busy until Mile 7.
Mile 4: 14:12
Mile 5: 13:58
Mile 6: 14:16
10K Total: 86:25
Mile 7: 14:28
At Mile 7 we finally turned. There was a relay transistion there. I almost went down that chute. I was now running with a fireman in full gear and with an American Flag. Mile 8 seemed to pop up out of nowhere. We ran past the pizza place D and had dinner at the day before. A couple of little turns. They were passing out GU's. I took one of my Hammer Gels here. Since I had never had a GU, I wasn't going to start today. They were also passing out salt packets. I didn't take those either. I wondered what my 15K time was. I think it was about the same that it had been for the Hot Chocolate 15K. Around Mile 9, we ran under a Balloon Man. I was hoping there was no "rain spray" from him. I think I have a sick mind. I mentioned it to D later. He said, "You ran under someone's crotch? Do you mean the Rocking Guy playing guitar?" Yes, that would be him. We were now in the French Quarter. We ran by 2 Brew pubs, and Cafe Du Monde (which is how I knew where we were). At Mile 10 we turned.
Mile 8: 14:17
Mile 9: 14:33
Mile 10: 14:16
10 Miles Total: 2:21:39
This new road left something to be desired. The pavement/asphalt was uneven, patched and pot-holed. D said later he was not a fan. I was only not a fan because I had to watch for people. A lot of people started speeding up, but a lot were walking. I was a bit jealous that they were almost done. I still felt pretty strong. Here I noticed a lot of sunburned people. I wondered where they got sun from. It wasn't all that hot (65ish) and I had been running under a lot of trees. We got to Mile 12.8 and the Marathon split. Would I make it? The guy told me to go left. He didn't say, "NO MORE!" So I did. I was the only one. Oh my! Another guy came up and I ran with him until the 13.1. We didn't talk, just ran together. Then he pulled away (or I slowed down).
Mile 11: 15:00
Mile 12: 14:32
Mile 13: 14:55
1/2 Marathon Total: 3:07:14
I was very happy with the half-marathon time since none of my runs had produced anything less than 3:25 for 13 miles. So we (I) ran through this little section of park onto a road that headed out to Lake Pontchartrain. It was an out and back section. So I got to see a lot of people try to qualify for Boston. You could tell in a lot of people's faces when I got to Mile 14, that they weren't going to make it. It was kind of sad really. And scary. Some of these people looked like they were going to drop dead. This may be why there seemed to be a lot of medic tents right there. On my side of the road, it was rather boring. Periodically someone would pass me. After about 3:30 a lot of the people on the other side, kept telling me to keep at it. I wondered if I looked liked I was going to die. I had been keeping up with my nutrition, but it really felt that the Bloks (margarita flavor) were getting stuck in my throat. Mile 16 ticked with over 3 hours left and right at a walk break up the first hill of the race (Marconi RD to Lakeshore DR). I freaked out here, because the band was playing Florence+the Machine as was my iPod. Weirdness. I was wondering about D. I assumed we had passed and I had just missed him.
Mile 14: 15:37
Mile 15: 16:14
Mile 16: 16:02
I decided somewhere in this time to go to the 4/1 strategy. As I ran along Lake Pontchartrain, I wondered if not really having good weather when I ran the Smuttynose Half was really all that bad. The water was water. There really wasn't that much interesting going on. I wondered where the turn was. I finally passed D. He was walking. He said he was walking the last 5 miles in. I told him he had 3 hours to walk it. He kind of looked at me, oddly.
He was sure he had torn his Achilles around Mile 7. I wondered how someone could tear that, and yet, I could still not pass them. I was walking a little more than I was running, because the Bloks really were uncomfortable in my throat. I decided I would walk up some bridge and run down it. That was not a good idea. PAIN shot through my foot. I walked a little. At the bottom of the bridge, I ran again, and PAIN. WTF? I walked a little more. Finally I had to stop and relace the whole shoe. It felt better, but man, did it hurt to bend over to fix the damn thing. (No way I would sit down, I might not get back up). I caught up to another walker. He was cramping bad. I let him have some of my Gatorade so he could take a salt packet. We got to the 19 mile mark and the turn. We stepped on the mat and shook hands (that mat had already been turned off or because it didn't record my time).
Mile 17: 16:33
Mile 18: 17:15
Mile 19: 16:46
At this point, I wondered about running. I was walking at a good pace. I was chatting and annoying all those around me. I broke away from the Cramping Man, and just kept walking. Another lady caught up to me, and we walked for awhile. Then she broke away on "that" bridge. While on top of that, I came across a couple. The woman was in tears that she wasn't going to make it. I gave her one of my packs of Clif Bars. I kept going. I caught back up to the woman because I started running to test out my foot. She asked me what the point of running at this point was. So I stopped. The SAG Wagon came by the other way. They stopped and gave us water, pretzels and a banana. I passed on the banana, because I was still having issues with the Blok. I ate some pretzels but they were too salty. I just kept on moving, although I really did seem to be dicking around. The lady broke away again. Finally I got back to Marconi. The band seemed really out of tune at this time.
Mile 20: 17:03
20 Miles Total: 5:00:41
Mile 21: 16:17
Mile 22: 16:38
I was so close. Only about 90 minutes more. I was so bored. Whose idea was this? I was right. I was never doing this again. D was probably showered, napped, and dressed. Was I a runner? I walk every 9 minutes. But I am now closing in on 6 hours of exercise. Can the naysayers who have told me my runs don't count because I walk do that? Fuck them.
I took the last of my Bloks. Still getting stuck in my throat. I never want Margarita Bloks again. If I throw up will I feel better. Don't throw up. Where are the Mickey Mouse People (a water stop). They are serving martinis. That'll make you throw up, Al. I actually caught up to 3 people during this time. At Mile 24, I resumed running. I ran .12 or .13 miles and walked .13 or .12 miles. My legs hurt. But they still felt they would hold me up. It made the time go by faster. Finally I entered the park.
Mile 23: 18:40
Mile 24: 18:11
Mile 25: 16:42
At the last water stop, the ladies there were saints. They told the cameramen to start clicking. They hit a car with their fists to say, "We have a runner here." I think if I had asked them, they would have poured the water and Gatorade in my mouth. And they said, "You have 1 mile left." No lying here. I continued this pace strategy I had cleverly devised. I ran over a stream. The camera men played on their phones. That annoyed me. But eh. I was almost there. I started to cry. Back in 3rd grade, my gym teacher (he was a bully) told me I was fat, and I shouldn't even attempt sports, and then would give me F's for not trying. 3rd Grade, and I've been carrying this shit. Where the hell did that come from? I gave him the bird (although he wasn't there to see it). I was not going to cry on the finish line. I turned and seemed to be running to a museum. There was no one around except one girl infront of me. Where was the finish? We ran around the museum and my watch dinged. And I saw the 26 mile sign. And I heard a loud whistle. I know that whistle anywhere. It was D somewhere. The girl had started running as well, so she was far enough infront of me. The announcer called her out and gave her a high-five. She crossed. Another whistle. I had about .1 to go. I wondered if anyone was behind me. The announcer started congratulating me. No way. I was going to do this. No one was going to stop me. He high-fived me. I was going to do it. My brain, my legs. I crossed.
Mile 26: 16:59
Marathon Total Time: 6:47:43 (I was 25 from last).
D's Marathon Total Time (on a bum foot): 4:59:03
The 2 people there, gave me a medal, and stuffed a water in my hand. I wandered around. Where was D? They moved the gate for him to get out and we hugged. Then they hurried us into the photo booth.
We stood for about a minute when I looked over and the whole RnR City was had been taken down (including the beer tent). They announced the last shuttles were about to leave. Since D had gotten hurt, he never went and got the car. He just waited for me. He also told the photographers they weren't leaving until I crossed the line. It ticked us both off a bit, as we found out from various people the 7 hour time limit started when the last person from the last corral started. So it was a little insulting to run 26.2 miles, and then have to run across a park to catch a bus. But we did. And the girl that I gave the Shot Bloks to? She finished as well.
The shuttle dropped us off beside our hotel. We went up and layed around for a little while. I was right about the Clif Bloks. I think I coughed up 2 (hard to tell since they were fluorescent green...could have been phlegm). We realized we were ravenous. So we went and had food and beer.
The next day we did the Bourbon Street thing. We may have gotten a little drunk. I know you all are shocked.
On Tuesday we returned to Atlanta. We had a little shopping to do. Yes, we went and got this before we even went home.
Finally we pulled into our hotel around 2. Stress reducer! We would make it to the Expo before 5pm. A nice bellman informed us no rooms were ready but we could put everything in storage and go out. So we did. He seemed a little confused that our 3 days stay had 8 pieces of luggage including a foam roller. But eh.
We pre-checked in, and then walked over to the Convention Center. On the way over, I kind of looked for restaurants, but it seemed we walked past every chain restaurant that I don't particularly care for and no pizza places. We got to the Expo and looked up our numbers. There were 2 Als and 2 D's. So we just went to the Corral Number Pick up with no one in it. That guy wanted to know where our release forms were. So back to the beginning and we filled those out. Back to the guy. "Why don't you have a number?"
Because I don't know which one it is. "Over there," he said, pointing to a wall. "Over where?" D asked. On another wall was the information booth, so we got in that line. We got our numbers and then got in the correct lines to get the physical numbers. After that, shirts and bag. No one could tell us where to get our parking pass. We went into the RnR section and the was just a Cluster. Still no Parking Pass. A random Security Guy helped us out with that, since no one with RnR knew about it. We left that part of the Expo and got to a new Information Booth, and as we walked up, the Info Lady and Man looked at us, grabbed a book, stepped back and starting gabbing. Both D and I in unison said, "Really?" The other Info Lady helped us to where the Parking Passes were. We stood in that line, when a random volunteer saw I had a receipt, grabbed it and returned with our pass. Score! We looked at the 100 people or so in the line to get wrist bands for beer, said F it and left. Both of us thought the Expo was way too big. And of course we weren't going to buy anything BEFORE finishing a race. I guess we are weird.
After a few tries we found a bar in the Warehouse District, aptly named the District. The bartender was nice, it was empty and they had an Abita Oyster Stout. We had a couple of those. Then he told us where to get pizza. That didn't work out (the place was not open yet), so we found another place using our phones (or maybe a cab). That place was odd. It was takeout, but they had tables. We ate there (Magazine Pizza). The pizza was pretty decent. Then we cabbed it back to the hotel, checked in and got all of our gear. We watched a lot of TV. We discussed how we were getting to the race (parking pass, anyone?) and decided that D would finish the race, take a shuttle back to the hotel and then drive back to the end. So I packed the camera bag with the parking pass, and we went to bed.
For the next 7 hours, both of us just layed there. Went to the bathroom a few times, tossed and turned, but sleep was not to be had. I think we each got about 2 hours. My alarm went off at 5. I got up and figured out what to wear, and peed about 20 times (nervous). I had a Clif Bar. D got up at 530 and we both got ready, packing our food and Camelbak (me) and Fuel Belt (him). His nutrition looks way different than mine.
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| D's Nutrition for 26.2 Miles |
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| Al's Nutrition for 26.2 Miles |
We got everything packed. I used the bathroom about 80 more times, and finally we were ready.
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| Hotel Room Shot |
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| Pre-Race Photo by RnR |
We turned and soon were by the Exxon and my watch dinged. I did my 9/1 thing. Most of the people around me had on fluorescent green numbers (half). I tried to look for the purple numbers (full). I think we got to a water/Gatorade stop at Mile 2.5. I was seriously shocked at how poorly run it was. There was no water out. You had to wait as they poured each person a cup. Seriously? I did get one. This was because my friend Elizabeth had told me to take everything they give you. Then I got a Gatorade. I drank everything and then went about my way. (D said they had people handing out water with no waiting issues for him). They had bands playing but I really couldn't hear. A lot of MS and HS cheerleaders were out. That was nice. My distances weren't matching the race distances (I was .1 miles ahead).
Mile 1: 12:04 (SLOW DOWN!!!!)
Mile 2: 13:39
Mile 3: 13:43
5K Total: 42:01
I had 2 Bloks here although I didn't think I needed them. Mile 4 and 5 were a repeat of 2 and 3 but the other way (out and back to Loyola University). The water station at Mile 5 was the same issue. This really surprised me being how big a race series this was. It wasn't worrisome though, because I was drinking from my Camelbak. I hit mile 6. I wondered what my PR was on a 10K. I was pretty sure I wasn't going to hit it. Especially with the .1 mile thing. That kept me busy until Mile 7.
Mile 4: 14:12
Mile 5: 13:58
Mile 6: 14:16
10K Total: 86:25
Mile 7: 14:28
At Mile 7 we finally turned. There was a relay transistion there. I almost went down that chute. I was now running with a fireman in full gear and with an American Flag. Mile 8 seemed to pop up out of nowhere. We ran past the pizza place D and had dinner at the day before. A couple of little turns. They were passing out GU's. I took one of my Hammer Gels here. Since I had never had a GU, I wasn't going to start today. They were also passing out salt packets. I didn't take those either. I wondered what my 15K time was. I think it was about the same that it had been for the Hot Chocolate 15K. Around Mile 9, we ran under a Balloon Man. I was hoping there was no "rain spray" from him. I think I have a sick mind. I mentioned it to D later. He said, "You ran under someone's crotch? Do you mean the Rocking Guy playing guitar?" Yes, that would be him. We were now in the French Quarter. We ran by 2 Brew pubs, and Cafe Du Monde (which is how I knew where we were). At Mile 10 we turned.
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| Me in the French Quarter...Photo by RnR people |
Mile 9: 14:33
Mile 10: 14:16
10 Miles Total: 2:21:39
This new road left something to be desired. The pavement/asphalt was uneven, patched and pot-holed. D said later he was not a fan. I was only not a fan because I had to watch for people. A lot of people started speeding up, but a lot were walking. I was a bit jealous that they were almost done. I still felt pretty strong. Here I noticed a lot of sunburned people. I wondered where they got sun from. It wasn't all that hot (65ish) and I had been running under a lot of trees. We got to Mile 12.8 and the Marathon split. Would I make it? The guy told me to go left. He didn't say, "NO MORE!" So I did. I was the only one. Oh my! Another guy came up and I ran with him until the 13.1. We didn't talk, just ran together. Then he pulled away (or I slowed down).
Mile 11: 15:00
Mile 12: 14:32
Mile 13: 14:55
1/2 Marathon Total: 3:07:14
I was very happy with the half-marathon time since none of my runs had produced anything less than 3:25 for 13 miles. So we (I) ran through this little section of park onto a road that headed out to Lake Pontchartrain. It was an out and back section. So I got to see a lot of people try to qualify for Boston. You could tell in a lot of people's faces when I got to Mile 14, that they weren't going to make it. It was kind of sad really. And scary. Some of these people looked like they were going to drop dead. This may be why there seemed to be a lot of medic tents right there. On my side of the road, it was rather boring. Periodically someone would pass me. After about 3:30 a lot of the people on the other side, kept telling me to keep at it. I wondered if I looked liked I was going to die. I had been keeping up with my nutrition, but it really felt that the Bloks (margarita flavor) were getting stuck in my throat. Mile 16 ticked with over 3 hours left and right at a walk break up the first hill of the race (Marconi RD to Lakeshore DR). I freaked out here, because the band was playing Florence+the Machine as was my iPod. Weirdness. I was wondering about D. I assumed we had passed and I had just missed him.
Mile 14: 15:37
Mile 15: 16:14
Mile 16: 16:02
I decided somewhere in this time to go to the 4/1 strategy. As I ran along Lake Pontchartrain, I wondered if not really having good weather when I ran the Smuttynose Half was really all that bad. The water was water. There really wasn't that much interesting going on. I wondered where the turn was. I finally passed D. He was walking. He said he was walking the last 5 miles in. I told him he had 3 hours to walk it. He kind of looked at me, oddly.
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| D probably around Mile 17, not Mile 20 |
Mile 17: 16:33
Mile 18: 17:15
Mile 19: 16:46
At this point, I wondered about running. I was walking at a good pace. I was chatting and annoying all those around me. I broke away from the Cramping Man, and just kept walking. Another lady caught up to me, and we walked for awhile. Then she broke away on "that" bridge. While on top of that, I came across a couple. The woman was in tears that she wasn't going to make it. I gave her one of my packs of Clif Bars. I kept going. I caught back up to the woman because I started running to test out my foot. She asked me what the point of running at this point was. So I stopped. The SAG Wagon came by the other way. They stopped and gave us water, pretzels and a banana. I passed on the banana, because I was still having issues with the Blok. I ate some pretzels but they were too salty. I just kept on moving, although I really did seem to be dicking around. The lady broke away again. Finally I got back to Marconi. The band seemed really out of tune at this time.
Mile 20: 17:03
20 Miles Total: 5:00:41
Mile 21: 16:17
Mile 22: 16:38
I was so close. Only about 90 minutes more. I was so bored. Whose idea was this? I was right. I was never doing this again. D was probably showered, napped, and dressed. Was I a runner? I walk every 9 minutes. But I am now closing in on 6 hours of exercise. Can the naysayers who have told me my runs don't count because I walk do that? Fuck them.
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| Sent to D and Facebook |
Mile 23: 18:40
Mile 24: 18:11
Mile 25: 16:42
At the last water stop, the ladies there were saints. They told the cameramen to start clicking. They hit a car with their fists to say, "We have a runner here." I think if I had asked them, they would have poured the water and Gatorade in my mouth. And they said, "You have 1 mile left." No lying here. I continued this pace strategy I had cleverly devised. I ran over a stream. The camera men played on their phones. That annoyed me. But eh. I was almost there. I started to cry. Back in 3rd grade, my gym teacher (he was a bully) told me I was fat, and I shouldn't even attempt sports, and then would give me F's for not trying. 3rd Grade, and I've been carrying this shit. Where the hell did that come from? I gave him the bird (although he wasn't there to see it). I was not going to cry on the finish line. I turned and seemed to be running to a museum. There was no one around except one girl infront of me. Where was the finish? We ran around the museum and my watch dinged. And I saw the 26 mile sign. And I heard a loud whistle. I know that whistle anywhere. It was D somewhere. The girl had started running as well, so she was far enough infront of me. The announcer called her out and gave her a high-five. She crossed. Another whistle. I had about .1 to go. I wondered if anyone was behind me. The announcer started congratulating me. No way. I was going to do this. No one was going to stop me. He high-fived me. I was going to do it. My brain, my legs. I crossed.
Mile 26: 16:59
Marathon Total Time: 6:47:43 (I was 25 from last).
D's Marathon Total Time (on a bum foot): 4:59:03
The 2 people there, gave me a medal, and stuffed a water in my hand. I wandered around. Where was D? They moved the gate for him to get out and we hugged. Then they hurried us into the photo booth.
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| D finishing |
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| Me finishing |
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| DONE! |
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| US! |
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| Shirt and Medal |
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| Our Medals |
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| Up close |
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| NO WAY! |
We stood for about a minute when I looked over and the whole RnR City was had been taken down (including the beer tent). They announced the last shuttles were about to leave. Since D had gotten hurt, he never went and got the car. He just waited for me. He also told the photographers they weren't leaving until I crossed the line. It ticked us both off a bit, as we found out from various people the 7 hour time limit started when the last person from the last corral started. So it was a little insulting to run 26.2 miles, and then have to run across a park to catch a bus. But we did. And the girl that I gave the Shot Bloks to? She finished as well.
The shuttle dropped us off beside our hotel. We went up and layed around for a little while. I was right about the Clif Bloks. I think I coughed up 2 (hard to tell since they were fluorescent green...could have been phlegm). We realized we were ravenous. So we went and had food and beer.
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| The first post run beer! |
The next day we did the Bourbon Street thing. We may have gotten a little drunk. I know you all are shocked.
On Tuesday we returned to Atlanta. We had a little shopping to do. Yes, we went and got this before we even went home.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Building up to a Marathon
So it seems like eons ago (7 or 8 months), my friend Yas ran a marathon. I had been toying with the idea, and my friend Elizabeth kept telling me I should do one. After Yas ran hers, I bombarded her with a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? Patiently she answered every question. She said I should sign up for one.
Then I asked Elizabeth a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one.
Then I asked Delane a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one.
Then I asked Jenbeast a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one. (Actually I didn't ask her about a plan...I asked her about cutoffs, walking, etc. and she relayed her IronMan experience to me).
D is pretty easy going. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when I suggested the idea. Then said, "I will need a fuel belt." And then said there was no way he was going to run 10 miles in one day in the middle of the week. And that was about the extent I got out of him.
So I signed us up for the Rock N Roll Marathon New Orleans. For 20 weeks we were supposed to train. We picked this plan, because of mental blocks I get over certain mileages. So I wanted to be sure I did 26 miles. We did well in October. We did great in November. We did ok in December. We did lackluster in January. By February we were miserable.
However whenever I made comments or observations, people chimed in with their thoughts or support (Thank you, all!). I think it was pretty easy to see we were losing steam. First, D works every other weekend. So he missed the "short long run." Then every long run starting at 18 miles, the weather was between 25 and 32 degrees. Every frigging long run. So it was hard to prep for a 70 degree race. Still we tried. Then I got the flu. Then I got strep. Those were harder for me to mentally overcome.
Then D said he was having a back issue. This was early February. He tried a 5 mile run and got through .5 miles. He said his Achilles was in pain. He got new work shoes, but also went to see the Orthopedic Surgeon. He had a strained tendon. Trying to be supportive, I didn't bother to tell him how freaked out I was that he basically became a "game day decision." But I really was shitting a brick that now I was going to have to do this without him. And that I needed him. That knowing he is doing it helps me. I stayed quiet (as much as I could), and he took Celebrex for a few weeks. In there, we got a puppy. Then there was Valentine's Day. We went to Pet Store Beer Night for V-day. Running Bud A and her husband J were there. They asked us about the Marathon and were we going to do another. I don't think we ever spoke so fast, "NO!"
My birthday rolled around and we still didn't run. I was sick to my stomach every day from stress. I wanted to vomit all the time. I made sure that wasn't a sign for something else (no!). And finally Friday rolled around. D drove McMenamin and Scuttlebutt to their daycare. Lompoc is too little, and not fully vaccinated so she stayed with our friends. On the way home from dropping her off, we witnessed an accident. It wasn't bad at all, but my God our nerves.
We packed. Well D packed. I packed my running bag, my nutrition bag, my camera, my foam roller, and computer. Then I said I was tired, and went to bed...
Then I asked Elizabeth a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one.
Then I asked Delane a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one.
Then I asked Jenbeast a ton of questions. How hard was the training? What was her plan? How long was the plan? She said I should sign up for one. (Actually I didn't ask her about a plan...I asked her about cutoffs, walking, etc. and she relayed her IronMan experience to me).
D is pretty easy going. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when I suggested the idea. Then said, "I will need a fuel belt." And then said there was no way he was going to run 10 miles in one day in the middle of the week. And that was about the extent I got out of him.
So I signed us up for the Rock N Roll Marathon New Orleans. For 20 weeks we were supposed to train. We picked this plan, because of mental blocks I get over certain mileages. So I wanted to be sure I did 26 miles. We did well in October. We did great in November. We did ok in December. We did lackluster in January. By February we were miserable.
However whenever I made comments or observations, people chimed in with their thoughts or support (Thank you, all!). I think it was pretty easy to see we were losing steam. First, D works every other weekend. So he missed the "short long run." Then every long run starting at 18 miles, the weather was between 25 and 32 degrees. Every frigging long run. So it was hard to prep for a 70 degree race. Still we tried. Then I got the flu. Then I got strep. Those were harder for me to mentally overcome.
Then D said he was having a back issue. This was early February. He tried a 5 mile run and got through .5 miles. He said his Achilles was in pain. He got new work shoes, but also went to see the Orthopedic Surgeon. He had a strained tendon. Trying to be supportive, I didn't bother to tell him how freaked out I was that he basically became a "game day decision." But I really was shitting a brick that now I was going to have to do this without him. And that I needed him. That knowing he is doing it helps me. I stayed quiet (as much as I could), and he took Celebrex for a few weeks. In there, we got a puppy. Then there was Valentine's Day. We went to Pet Store Beer Night for V-day. Running Bud A and her husband J were there. They asked us about the Marathon and were we going to do another. I don't think we ever spoke so fast, "NO!"
My birthday rolled around and we still didn't run. I was sick to my stomach every day from stress. I wanted to vomit all the time. I made sure that wasn't a sign for something else (no!). And finally Friday rolled around. D drove McMenamin and Scuttlebutt to their daycare. Lompoc is too little, and not fully vaccinated so she stayed with our friends. On the way home from dropping her off, we witnessed an accident. It wasn't bad at all, but my God our nerves.
We packed. Well D packed. I packed my running bag, my nutrition bag, my camera, my foam roller, and computer. Then I said I was tired, and went to bed...
Monday, February 25, 2013
I'm a Marathoner!
Completed the RnR New Orleans Marathon in under 7 hours!
More to come.
Also got a new puppy, Lompoc from the pound. She is adorable!
More to come.
Also got a new puppy, Lompoc from the pound. She is adorable!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Rings, Running and Dates
So I have now run more in 1 week of February than the last 18 days of January. I'm killer that way.
Do any of you forget to wear your wedding rings? I do about 4-5 days a week. I'm allergic to the soap in the bathrooms at work, and well, I still use the soap at work. Usually, I purell my hands after I use the soap, but with all the sickness going around, there is no Purell around the office (if I don't go back to my desk). Yes, I know Purell can make you more sick, but it also prevents my hands from looking like they have been in a chemical burn and feel like they have been bitten by 1000 mosquitoes, so, I go with the Purell.
So anyway, I typically don't wear my wedding rings on Tuesdays-Fridays, as my hands start to get irritated. I really never noticed that I didn't do this before last week.
I went back to the gym for my 3 miler. I ran it decently (37 minutes). D had already left (I knew he had been there, because no one else watches Futurama on the TV but him, and guess what was on?). Anyway, I was finished and I went to get the cleaner to wash down the treadmill. I had the cleaner in my left hand and was reaching above the cubbies to get a paper towel. This guy who I recognized tells me I'm getting faster.
Now, it is the gym...you know I don't talk to people. I don't really look at people (I look at the ground). So how did I recognize him? He has black socks and Blue and Green Sauconys on.
So, when he told me I'm getting faster, I glanced at his shoes. I said, "Thank you." It's a compliment, so you know I was blushing. He asked me if I'd like to go get a beer or something. I was still holding the cleaner in my left hand. Because I had been sick, I hadn't been to work, so guess what was on my hand. My wedding rings (I have 2) and engagement ring. I looked at my hand. He looked at my hand. He got red, and asked if the rings were new. I felt so bad, like I had been leading this guy on. I giggled and said, "No, they are almost 10 years old. I feel really bad. I'm sorry." I quickly grabbed the paper towel and rushed back to the treadmill. When I put the stuff back/in the trash, the guy was gone.
I told D about it when I got home. He laughed. He probably laughed more at the fact I felt like I had led the guy on.
Only me...
Do any of you forget to wear your wedding rings? I do about 4-5 days a week. I'm allergic to the soap in the bathrooms at work, and well, I still use the soap at work. Usually, I purell my hands after I use the soap, but with all the sickness going around, there is no Purell around the office (if I don't go back to my desk). Yes, I know Purell can make you more sick, but it also prevents my hands from looking like they have been in a chemical burn and feel like they have been bitten by 1000 mosquitoes, so, I go with the Purell.
So anyway, I typically don't wear my wedding rings on Tuesdays-Fridays, as my hands start to get irritated. I really never noticed that I didn't do this before last week.
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| Happen to have them on on a Wednesday |
Now, it is the gym...you know I don't talk to people. I don't really look at people (I look at the ground). So how did I recognize him? He has black socks and Blue and Green Sauconys on.
So, when he told me I'm getting faster, I glanced at his shoes. I said, "Thank you." It's a compliment, so you know I was blushing. He asked me if I'd like to go get a beer or something. I was still holding the cleaner in my left hand. Because I had been sick, I hadn't been to work, so guess what was on my hand. My wedding rings (I have 2) and engagement ring. I looked at my hand. He looked at my hand. He got red, and asked if the rings were new. I felt so bad, like I had been leading this guy on. I giggled and said, "No, they are almost 10 years old. I feel really bad. I'm sorry." I quickly grabbed the paper towel and rushed back to the treadmill. When I put the stuff back/in the trash, the guy was gone.
I told D about it when I got home. He laughed. He probably laughed more at the fact I felt like I had led the guy on.
Only me...
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