The 5K Sucketh

OK. Got up at 6:30 to take a shower. I'm not sure what that was about, but I felt the need to shave my legs. Plus I was excited.

Opened the door for the dogs and it was a sauna out there. Steamy 75. Dang!

D and I finished getting ready and drove to J and A's house. A was running with us.

She took some pics of my face for me to compare from last race. So we walked from their house to the race.

We get there and they give us everything.
US: Can't we get it after?
Them:No, because if you pre-registered we want to
make sure you get your shirt.
US: Ok... XXL.
THEM: Oh we don't have XXL.
US: Ok, XL,
Them: we don't have those either.
US: Give me the largest size you have.
Now we are registered.

D put all our stuff under a tree, so we wouldn't have to run with it. A was nervous and talking and D was looking at all the ugly runners. I started looking around and realized there was going to be a problem. I was the heaviest there by 40 pounds. All these people were runners. Even heavy set women, had the thin runners legs.

OK, stop Al, you're fine.

They said some stuff I couldn't hear, and we were off. Most people passed me, not a big deal. First mile done.

Second Mile started with a hill. I run hills, I'll just take it slow.

Clod, click, clod, click...WTF is that? A 1-legged runner is passing me. OK, she is probably an Olympian and used to this...yes, that's it. D later said she could go faster because she was missing the extra weight...thanks Hon!

Out on the main road. 2 MARTA busses...I thought they ran on Natural Gas. cough, cough... how is that truck in Atlanta with all those fumes. Now I can't breathe. Here is mile 2. I can't breathe. I have no clue what volunteer is telling me. I can't breathe.

Brain1: OK if I walk, life will be good. I can't breathe.
Brain2: You're weak if you walk!
Brain1: Shut up! OK, if I' don't walk, I'm going to die.

So I walked to the hill. Then I ran down it. Who is this...Granny is passing me? Geez I am slow.

I thought we finished on a downhill, where did this hill come from? I can run it.

Lady walking passes me...oh no you aren't passing me. Get to the top of the hill and see the finish. 44 minutes. That is horrible. Walker woman you aren't passing me again. There is D, I love him. There is A, J and C. They are great.

I crossed at 45:23.
I had to immediately fill something out. I was a bit disoriented. A gave me some water. I drank that and went to get some more. There wasn't any. I got some gatorade...one of the last. And had a banana.

Sweat everywhere. I think J took a picture.

We walked back to A&J's house, A knew I was disappointed with
my time. She reminded me that I hadn't been able to run a mile
last year oreven in February. D pointed out from my
hills training last weekend I was on point.

We going back to their house. I looked at my HRM. I had burned 1100 calories.
Thats 4 beers to drink with no guilt.

All is right in the world again.

But the dang T-shirt doesn't fit!

Komen 5K 5/12/07

The race went pretty well. It was crowded and REALLY muggy. We (D and I) got there at 7:15 and looked for my friend Thorny. Finally found her at 8. We said hi and then Doug and I went and got in line to run. We were in the middle of the pack. We walked 5 minutes, and then said bye to each other. I ran 5 minutes, and then got to the hill at 12th street and walked it. It looked monstrous and huge. Started running again, at 10th street. Ran 2 minutes. Walked 2 minutes. Ran 8 minutes. Had to run in the street (where cars were) because it was so crowded. The police told the walkers to use their common sense and walk toward the middle, and let the runners have the outside. Walked 8 minutes. Now I was back on 17th street.

The water table I passed (didn't stop) said I was at 2 miles. I thought I was going fast. I ran 2 minutes, walked 2 ran 3 walked 3. I saw Doug near the finish realizing I still had about a mile to go. I walked/ran some 1 minute intervals. I ran the last 4 minutes and got there in 49 minutes (about 15.8/mile). Doug was waiting for me at the finish line. He finished by 41 minutes. We then went and got our T-shirts.

The honorariums people had on their backs was really moving. I remember thinking the future doesn’t bode well with “In memory of Mom and In honor of my 3 sisters.” I choked up at a guy with “In memory of my wife X and in Honor of my wife Y.” The one that really got me though was “in memory of Mom and Dad.” After that I stopped looking at them.

Thorny took a picture of me and Doug, but she accidentally erased it. She got the pic of me and her. I look absolutely HUGE!(I'll use it as motivation to lose more weight or as resume fodder to become a linebacker for a football team). I believe since Doug and I started training for this he has lost 13 pounds and I have lost 4.

But in the end, I was really proud of us for committing and doing.

We went for a run yesterday. It was really SLOW (much slower than that 15.8 min-mile I ran in the 5K).