Picture this.
It's 6 in the morning on Sunday. Meg and I are waiting for my brother PJ to come pick us up to drive to Falmouth. I've been dressed and ready since 5:15. I'm nervous - but not entirely surprised - that PJ is late and incommmunicado. I love my brother more than anything, but he can be unbelievably irresponsible, and is not a morning person. I'm cursing my good name for not somehow making the impossible possible, and finding an overnight parking spot in Southie so the driving impetus would be on me. I've called him twice. He never picks up though, nobody in my family does. We distrust cellphones and always keep the ringers off.
Finally, he calls. He's frantic, his alarm "didn't go off". He's on the road and says he'll be here in 20. We're already late. Way late. I bite my tongue, remain calm, tell him it's fine. At least he's on the road. I run down the street to the neighborhood bakery and grab coffees and breakfast sandwiches and bottles of water. When I get back, Meg mumbles from her position under the covers that the phone's ringing. It's PJ again. Now he's completely freaking out - "I've just been pulled over, this guy is threatening to put me away. He says I was speeding and I smell like beer."
Again, I bite my tongue and remind PJ that while I understand the logic of not changing one's clothes or showering before running a sunny 7-miler, that if one was out at a party the previous night and spilled beer on one's outfit, one should probably have considered changing before getting into one’s mother’s borrowed car and speeding on the Mass Pike.
I tell him to keep me posted, and hang up so I don't run to the taxi stand and make a cab take me to the general area of exit 22 so I can wring my brother's neck. My nails have left giant red marks in my palms. I go to tell Meg what's going on, but she's in the bathroom throwing up. "Come look!" she shouts "There are bugs in my vomit!"
"Why are you looking at your puke? Stop right now. Flush it."
"It's cool though! Come look!"
"Absolutely not"
PJ calls again. I pick up. He says he can't find the car's registration, and he also might have misplaced his wallet last night so he doesn't have his driver's license. He gave the overly aggressive cop his passport and is now just sitting in the car waiting, in his own mind, to be handcuffed and thrown in the slammer.
At my repeated insistence, Meg finally stops inspecting her own throw-up and flushes the toilet.
I take a deep breath.
I feel like Michael Bluth.
By some bizarre miracle, the cop lets PJ off with just a ticket, which PJ refuses to look at. He arrives to pick us up, and I notice he's wearing the race shirt from the last 5K we did. It's electric lime with the words "Will Run for BEER" printed on the front in purple comic sans. He's also wearing the Cursed Cargo Camo Shorts, which he wore the last two times he lost his wallet and also the time he ran them through the wash with his passport still in the pocket. When I mention this might have something to do with the police officer's attitude, he replies with a string of profanities.
"These shorts need to go. They have to be BURNED."
I suggest a Viking Funeral.
About halfway there, he's certain he's forgotten to bring his bag with his running clothes and shoes. By the time we get to the Bourne Bridge, he's made up his mind to run the entire 7.2 mile course barefoot, in the aforementioned "Will Run for BEER" shirt and Cursed Cargo Camo Shorts. "I have to." he says "It's for the KIDS."
We finally make it, over an hour too late. Of course, we get caught in an absolutely epic cluster-f of traffic, and opt to peel off into a parking lot and run to the meeting place. PJ checks the trunk and realizes he did in fact bring his sneakers. So that's good. Though I think it would have taught him a nice lesson to have to run barefoot. We jog to the house that was designated as a meeting spot for the Ronald McDonald House runners. One of the House volunteers drives us to the buses that drive runners to the start. We run to that too. It's the absolute last bus. The roads are closed and they let us off about a mile from the course start.
We run there too.
After all that, we make it into our starting corrals with the approximately 10,000 other runners, about 5 minutes before the starting gun sounds.
Just because this is all amazingly clutch does not make it okay.
Nor does it make it any less hilarious.
Meg hasn't been training much and has never run more than 3 or 4 miles, but insists she'll finish if she can just stay with me. I'm not sure I can handle the responsibility of being a pacer. She stops to walk at about half a mile, and I tell her she can do it, keep it up, and she starts to jog again. This trend repeats several times over the first mile until she just gives up and I lose her in the thick crowd. I stop and wait for her after mile 2, but she never shows. I get back into the crowd and hope she makes it to the end.
My race was uneventful. After the slow start, and waiting for Meg, and having to walk for a bit due to an excruciating side stitch, I lost my hope for a good time. But, I don't really care. I'm just glad we made it here. I brought my camera and just enjoy the course and the crowds and the frequent water stops and the kazoo & banjo band at mile 6 and the stunning view of the ocean. Before I know it, it's over. This year, I'm smiling instead of crying as I see the American flag fluttering from the crane over the finish line.
PJ made a great time of 1:04. Meg finished before the course closed. And together, with fewer runners than last year's 40, the Ronald McDonald House team raised over $70,000 for the Boston Ronald McDonald House, with more still coming in. This amount helps defray about 1/8 of the House's operating costs for a given year.
Sometimes, in so many ways, making it to the starting line is the greatest challenge of all.
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Showing posts with label races. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Race report and important lessons
Running as fast as I can - check. Ran the Smutty 5k yesterday with an "official" time of 28:06, six minutes faster than last year, two minutes faster than my personal best, and 50 seconds faster than my "pipe dream" goal. I feel like I put in about as hard of an effort as I could have without burning out or injuring myself. Patty also had a great showing with a time of 23:47, five minutes faster than his time last year as well.
The trouble started after the race. It was a beautiful, hot day by the lake in Newmarket. The free Smuttynose, chili, pizza, and wings were plentiful but as per usual, I wasn't hungry. I have a hard time eating after a hard run, even if I was starving before it, and that's not good. I had a small bowl of chili and a couple beers, and sat in the sun enjoying the day for a few hours. This was also a mistake. I got a horrible sunburn all over my back, chest, shoulders, and even legs. Normally I don't get any color on my legs at all and I certainly don't burn that intensely, but I'm on this stupid medication that makes me even more photosensitive than my Irishy usual.
We were supposed to go to a dinner for our aunt who had just graduated from nursing school, but about halfway there I started getting really disszy, blacking out, and throwing up. I spent the rest of the ride curled up in a ball half-concious. I got home, stumbled up the stairs, and checked my temperature and it was 102, so I took some ibuprofen and passed out at 8:30. It was kind of scary. I don't know what happened, but I do know I have to start eating better. Even if I'm not hungry, I have to eat something after I run.
So now my parents are mad at me, and I still feel like crap. Great.
All in all, I'm very happy with my performance in the race, but not at all happy with my performance in life.
The trouble started after the race. It was a beautiful, hot day by the lake in Newmarket. The free Smuttynose, chili, pizza, and wings were plentiful but as per usual, I wasn't hungry. I have a hard time eating after a hard run, even if I was starving before it, and that's not good. I had a small bowl of chili and a couple beers, and sat in the sun enjoying the day for a few hours. This was also a mistake. I got a horrible sunburn all over my back, chest, shoulders, and even legs. Normally I don't get any color on my legs at all and I certainly don't burn that intensely, but I'm on this stupid medication that makes me even more photosensitive than my Irishy usual.
We were supposed to go to a dinner for our aunt who had just graduated from nursing school, but about halfway there I started getting really disszy, blacking out, and throwing up. I spent the rest of the ride curled up in a ball half-concious. I got home, stumbled up the stairs, and checked my temperature and it was 102, so I took some ibuprofen and passed out at 8:30. It was kind of scary. I don't know what happened, but I do know I have to start eating better. Even if I'm not hungry, I have to eat something after I run.
So now my parents are mad at me, and I still feel like crap. Great.
All in all, I'm very happy with my performance in the race, but not at all happy with my performance in life.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Repeats
One of the things I thought was so neat when I started running last year, and consequently reading running blogs, was how so many running bloggers would write about their "favorite" races - the local ones they run every year. Time flies, and I am now a couple months past my one-year runniversary, and since I entered about every local race less than 5 miles last summer, I'm bound to start repeating soon.
This Sunday marks my first "repeat" race, and it is a doozy. The Smuttynose/Loco Running "Will Run For Beer" 5k was one of my most miserable and most fun racing experiences. It was scorchingly hot, hilly, poorly marked, humid, and in the middle of the morning. I ran an abysmal 35:12, most of which was walking. My friend Jenna, a first-time 5ker, came in right behind me, swearing liberally. Both my brother and my friend Claire managed decent times, but we all were about to pass out at the end. Good thing there was all that refreshing, frosty beer for us to rehydrate ourselves with. And karaoke. And chili and wings.
Needless to say, I'm excited to go back. This year, things will be different.
Just for funsies, I've set some goals. Goals other than "just finish without passing out".
Baseline goal : Beat last year's time of 35:12
Realistic but difficult goal : Beat my best 5k time of 30:00 flat
Pipe dream goal : 28:50 or less (what the FIRST plan tables say I should be running based on my longer race times, not including this recent half-marathon fail).
Speaking of repeats, I did NOT get up at 6am and head to the track. Probably should have not stayed out so late and gone to Roadhouse Craft Beer & BBQ, arguably the greatest beer bar in Boston. It was worth it for the Racer X.
I have a party to go to tonight, but I'm going to leave early and try to get to the track. I don't know what it says about me that I'd rather be running around in Dorchester in the dark than at a party on a Friday night...
This Sunday marks my first "repeat" race, and it is a doozy. The Smuttynose/Loco Running "Will Run For Beer" 5k was one of my most miserable and most fun racing experiences. It was scorchingly hot, hilly, poorly marked, humid, and in the middle of the morning. I ran an abysmal 35:12, most of which was walking. My friend Jenna, a first-time 5ker, came in right behind me, swearing liberally. Both my brother and my friend Claire managed decent times, but we all were about to pass out at the end. Good thing there was all that refreshing, frosty beer for us to rehydrate ourselves with. And karaoke. And chili and wings.
Needless to say, I'm excited to go back. This year, things will be different.
Just for funsies, I've set some goals. Goals other than "just finish without passing out".
Baseline goal : Beat last year's time of 35:12
Realistic but difficult goal : Beat my best 5k time of 30:00 flat
Pipe dream goal : 28:50 or less (what the FIRST plan tables say I should be running based on my longer race times, not including this recent half-marathon fail).
Speaking of repeats, I did NOT get up at 6am and head to the track. Probably should have not stayed out so late and gone to Roadhouse Craft Beer & BBQ, arguably the greatest beer bar in Boston. It was worth it for the Racer X.
I have a party to go to tonight, but I'm going to leave early and try to get to the track. I don't know what it says about me that I'd rather be running around in Dorchester in the dark than at a party on a Friday night...
Monday, May 25, 2009
Race Report : Boston's Run to Remember half-marathon
The good news : Finished. Didn't collapse.
The bad news : 2:22:32
A loud thunderclap woke me up at 6am yesterday. Then the lightning came. I got grumpy and slept too late. By the time I rushed out the door, it was actually quite nice out, and during the race it was clear, warm, and sunny. A little too much so at times.
I started off at a 8:15/mile pace for the first two miles, according to the mile splits. Once I realized that, I slowed way down, but the damage had already been done. I haven't run a mile that fast since the 7th grade. Around mile 9 I started walking. Ugh. Most walk breaks I kept to 10 seconds or so, but I walked across the entire Longfellow bridge. My brain just quit on me. I'd be giving myself these great peptalks to keep going, and then my legs would just stop running! I was all "Dude! Legs! WTF!" but they just weren't listening. Neither was my stomach or my lungs. They were all like "Nope. We're donecakes. Mind over nothing."
I'll try and give myself credit since I haven't been able to walk without a limp until about a week and a half ago, and trained through ITBS (dumb), but it's still frustrating.
On the upside, I felt a lot better after this one than after the first. I managed to take a shower and have brunch with my friends and go to a BBQ and not take any naps! Maybe that's an endurance event in itself.
The bad news : 2:22:32
A loud thunderclap woke me up at 6am yesterday. Then the lightning came. I got grumpy and slept too late. By the time I rushed out the door, it was actually quite nice out, and during the race it was clear, warm, and sunny. A little too much so at times.
I started off at a 8:15/mile pace for the first two miles, according to the mile splits. Once I realized that, I slowed way down, but the damage had already been done. I haven't run a mile that fast since the 7th grade. Around mile 9 I started walking. Ugh. Most walk breaks I kept to 10 seconds or so, but I walked across the entire Longfellow bridge. My brain just quit on me. I'd be giving myself these great peptalks to keep going, and then my legs would just stop running! I was all "Dude! Legs! WTF!" but they just weren't listening. Neither was my stomach or my lungs. They were all like "Nope. We're donecakes. Mind over nothing."
I'll try and give myself credit since I haven't been able to walk without a limp until about a week and a half ago, and trained through ITBS (dumb), but it's still frustrating.
On the upside, I felt a lot better after this one than after the first. I managed to take a shower and have brunch with my friends and go to a BBQ and not take any naps! Maybe that's an endurance event in itself.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Race report : Feaster Five
46:52 net time / 9:26 per mile
There was a huge crown on Thanksgiving morning, a perfectly sunny & cool day for a run. It took me a couple minutes to even shuffle to the start, but eventually I got some elbow room and even ended up passing a few people (not just walkers and babies, either!). I think I managed to run each mile faster than the previous and was amazed to come in under 50 minutes on the clock. After getting my adjusted chip time, I was pretty pleased, considering it was such a hilly course. I realized I've come to the point where I enjoy running, and it's not like it isn't a challenge, but I really could push myself harder.
Anyway, I got my pie at the end, which really tickled me pink. I don't even know if I'll end up eating it.
Probably my last race of the year, unless I decide to do the Jolly Jaunt this weekend.
There was a huge crown on Thanksgiving morning, a perfectly sunny & cool day for a run. It took me a couple minutes to even shuffle to the start, but eventually I got some elbow room and even ended up passing a few people (not just walkers and babies, either!). I think I managed to run each mile faster than the previous and was amazed to come in under 50 minutes on the clock. After getting my adjusted chip time, I was pretty pleased, considering it was such a hilly course. I realized I've come to the point where I enjoy running, and it's not like it isn't a challenge, but I really could push myself harder.
Anyway, I got my pie at the end, which really tickled me pink. I don't even know if I'll end up eating it.
Probably my last race of the year, unless I decide to do the Jolly Jaunt this weekend.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Race Report : Manchester City Half Marathon
I wish I could go back in time and tell my 4 years ago self, or even my 1 year ago self, that I would one day run a 13.1 mile race. Past self would have thought that was SUCH a funny joke.
I remember when my loftiest goal was to run a 5k. When I spent the summer of 2004 struggling half a mile around the lake before a stubborn side stitch always sent me home. It was a goal so seemingly unattainable at the time. So I always quit running, over and over again.
Yet here I was, on Sunday, running the Manchester City Half Marathon
Having no race-day pickup actually worked out pretty well. I went to the expo on Saturday to get my number and chip and race shirt. Unfortunately, they were out of all but Large and XL shirt, which would have been fine if the shirts weren't nice, but they were really nice long-sleeved half-zip tech shirts with a subtle logo. I ended up giving mine to my brother, even though he never comes to see me run because that would mean he had to get up in the morning.
Yesterday I woke up rested at 6am (thank you, Standard Time), had some oatmeal, and put on way too many layers. I always make this mistake, but I suppose I'm still a beginner. Anyway, I dressed head to toe in brown spandex, ensuring that I looked like a giant poop. Great. I also had a stocking cap, gloves, and my awesome new Nathan fannypack thingo to carry my Gu and iPod (not for listening, just for timing since I don't have a fancy watch).
After guzzling down a cup of coffee and several bottles of water, I was quite concerned to see the shortage of portapotties and the long lines 15 minutes before race start. Still, runners are nothing if not fast, even in the bathroom, so we all managed to make it to the start and the race started on time at 8:50.
The lack of shirts in my size and the toilet sitch made me slightly worried that this would be disorganized disaster of a race, but I was very wrong. The volunteers and police officers were AWESOME, especially as the course was not closed to traffic and they had to maintain the delicate balance of letting the runners pass unfettered while keeping the fine drivers of ManchVegas from running any of us over in a fit of road rage. Excellent job to all.
Anyway, the course. It was scenic, both urban & suburban, and J.C. of A., they were NOT KIDDING about the hills. OW.
I was surprised at the section of the course that was entirely trails, in Livingston park. That was unexpected. We veered off through the woods and around a small lake for several minutes near mile 6. The pack had dispersed enough that nobody was on anyone else's heels and while I spent most of the time making sure I didn't trip over an unearthed tree root and biff it, I enjoyed the break from pavement.
I started to struggle around mile 9, and by 10 I was running entirely on autopilot. There was a giant, sloping, winding hill right around mile 8 and it pretty much zapped me. I shuffled through mile 9 and when I saw the marker for 10 I knew I was in uncharted territory and started to make some sort of lame Star Trek joke about boldly going where I hadn't gone before, and then giggling to myself, and then realizing I was starting to lose my mind. There were a couple short hills and then by mile 11 it was pretty much all straight or downhill from there. After I passed marker 11, I felt like I had a vast desert to cross before the end, but before I knew it I was passing marker 12, and realized that I was going to finish this thing, and started to cry a little.
I kicked it up a tiny bit near the finish, but the truth is, I had nothing left. I didn't cross the finish line shuffling, but I didn't cross it sprinting either.
My mom was there with her camera, and she gave me a high five. I ripped my chip off my shoe and shuffled over to get my medal (!).
I posted a 2:15ish gun time. I don't know if they're going to post chip times, but mine was definitely faster. Even with the gun time, I managed to average 10:20 per mile, despite all the uphills and the trail portion, so I'm okay with that. I didn't stop running.
Results
After some free chili, a warm bath, and a nap, I headed back to Manch to meet up with the bro at the Strangebrew. His best friend was having an engagement party and it was $2.50 beer night. Gotta love a place that will just pour you an entire pint of 8% Russian Imperial Stout (that just happens to be brewed in your small hometown) for $2.50, and also has free popcorn. Ah, the land of the free.
I also got to overhear my brother tell everyone in earshot that his sister had run a half marathon, which was neat.
Looking forward (as I started to do around mile 7), I don't think a full marathon is in the cards for me, at least not yet. I'd do another half, for sure. I think I'm going to spend the winter trying to get faster and stronger and see how much better I can come out on the other side.
I remember when my loftiest goal was to run a 5k. When I spent the summer of 2004 struggling half a mile around the lake before a stubborn side stitch always sent me home. It was a goal so seemingly unattainable at the time. So I always quit running, over and over again.
Yet here I was, on Sunday, running the Manchester City Half Marathon
Having no race-day pickup actually worked out pretty well. I went to the expo on Saturday to get my number and chip and race shirt. Unfortunately, they were out of all but Large and XL shirt, which would have been fine if the shirts weren't nice, but they were really nice long-sleeved half-zip tech shirts with a subtle logo. I ended up giving mine to my brother, even though he never comes to see me run because that would mean he had to get up in the morning.
Yesterday I woke up rested at 6am (thank you, Standard Time), had some oatmeal, and put on way too many layers. I always make this mistake, but I suppose I'm still a beginner. Anyway, I dressed head to toe in brown spandex, ensuring that I looked like a giant poop. Great. I also had a stocking cap, gloves, and my awesome new Nathan fannypack thingo to carry my Gu and iPod (not for listening, just for timing since I don't have a fancy watch).
After guzzling down a cup of coffee and several bottles of water, I was quite concerned to see the shortage of portapotties and the long lines 15 minutes before race start. Still, runners are nothing if not fast, even in the bathroom, so we all managed to make it to the start and the race started on time at 8:50.
The lack of shirts in my size and the toilet sitch made me slightly worried that this would be disorganized disaster of a race, but I was very wrong. The volunteers and police officers were AWESOME, especially as the course was not closed to traffic and they had to maintain the delicate balance of letting the runners pass unfettered while keeping the fine drivers of ManchVegas from running any of us over in a fit of road rage. Excellent job to all.
Anyway, the course. It was scenic, both urban & suburban, and J.C. of A., they were NOT KIDDING about the hills. OW.
I was surprised at the section of the course that was entirely trails, in Livingston park. That was unexpected. We veered off through the woods and around a small lake for several minutes near mile 6. The pack had dispersed enough that nobody was on anyone else's heels and while I spent most of the time making sure I didn't trip over an unearthed tree root and biff it, I enjoyed the break from pavement.
I started to struggle around mile 9, and by 10 I was running entirely on autopilot. There was a giant, sloping, winding hill right around mile 8 and it pretty much zapped me. I shuffled through mile 9 and when I saw the marker for 10 I knew I was in uncharted territory and started to make some sort of lame Star Trek joke about boldly going where I hadn't gone before, and then giggling to myself, and then realizing I was starting to lose my mind. There were a couple short hills and then by mile 11 it was pretty much all straight or downhill from there. After I passed marker 11, I felt like I had a vast desert to cross before the end, but before I knew it I was passing marker 12, and realized that I was going to finish this thing, and started to cry a little.
I kicked it up a tiny bit near the finish, but the truth is, I had nothing left. I didn't cross the finish line shuffling, but I didn't cross it sprinting either.
My mom was there with her camera, and she gave me a high five. I ripped my chip off my shoe and shuffled over to get my medal (!).
I posted a 2:15ish gun time. I don't know if they're going to post chip times, but mine was definitely faster. Even with the gun time, I managed to average 10:20 per mile, despite all the uphills and the trail portion, so I'm okay with that. I didn't stop running.
Results
After some free chili, a warm bath, and a nap, I headed back to Manch to meet up with the bro at the Strangebrew. His best friend was having an engagement party and it was $2.50 beer night. Gotta love a place that will just pour you an entire pint of 8% Russian Imperial Stout (that just happens to be brewed in your small hometown) for $2.50, and also has free popcorn. Ah, the land of the free.
I also got to overhear my brother tell everyone in earshot that his sister had run a half marathon, which was neat.
Looking forward (as I started to do around mile 7), I don't think a full marathon is in the cards for me, at least not yet. I'd do another half, for sure. I think I'm going to spend the winter trying to get faster and stronger and see how much better I can come out on the other side.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
I signed up for this.
Note to self : Stretch. Seriously.
Saturday I ran an easy 9 miles, much to my surprise. On Monday, I ran the Tufts 10k for Women in 1:00:16 (a 9:42 pace, whoo!).
Neither of those times did I stretch, and now my right hip is out of joint or something and I am limping around all over the place.
Ow.
And I just signed up for a half-marathon in two weeks. Oh boy.
Saturday I ran an easy 9 miles, much to my surprise. On Monday, I ran the Tufts 10k for Women in 1:00:16 (a 9:42 pace, whoo!).
Neither of those times did I stretch, and now my right hip is out of joint or something and I am limping around all over the place.
Ow.
And I just signed up for a half-marathon in two weeks. Oh boy.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Race report - Thompson Island 4k
Busytimes.
I didn't even ask for the afternoon off, but I had roped my bro into doing the Thompson Island 4k, which kicked off at 3:30. We had to both sneak out of work to make it to the ferry, which took us on a leisurely ride out to the island. Pat was super cranky because his knee has been hurting for a really long time, and because he was hungover, and because he hadn't asked for the day off. When we got there, I made him go over to the sports chiropractors table. The girl helped stretch him out and massaged his leg and just like I had thought, he has ITB syndrome. In fact, so bad that the chiro girl was calling over all her co-workers to feel his scar tissue.
So hey kids, don't run on old crappy shoes for a year. Mkay?
The race itself sucked. I'm not going to mince words here. It was severely unfun. I took off too fast, there were tonnnns of hills (as it was a trail race on an island) and it was possibly one of the hottest days this summer despite being September. My lungs were burning. I managed to get through a mile without walking, but after that I had a couple spots when I just had to stop. My mouth was full of dirt, I was sweating like a hoss, and I couldn't even enjoy the beautiful view because I had to look at the ground to make sure I didn't step into a hole or on a rock.
I honestly thought I might not make it. Also, probably should have eaten more than a slice of watermelon and a hunk of cheese all day. Oops.
Soon enough, it was over, and I'd earned myself a nice crappy time but not anything to be proud of. Not last though.
It's always the races with free beer and food that I do the worst at.
But I still get the free beer and food and t-shirt, and in this case, and awesome picnic on a friggin' island on a Thursday when I otherwise would have been at work.
So, awesome.
I need to find a running club or something. I just need to get better, take it to the next level, whatever you want to call it. I shouldn't be crapping out on a 2.5 mile run.
Anyway, back to watching the politics!
I didn't even ask for the afternoon off, but I had roped my bro into doing the Thompson Island 4k, which kicked off at 3:30. We had to both sneak out of work to make it to the ferry, which took us on a leisurely ride out to the island. Pat was super cranky because his knee has been hurting for a really long time, and because he was hungover, and because he hadn't asked for the day off. When we got there, I made him go over to the sports chiropractors table. The girl helped stretch him out and massaged his leg and just like I had thought, he has ITB syndrome. In fact, so bad that the chiro girl was calling over all her co-workers to feel his scar tissue.
So hey kids, don't run on old crappy shoes for a year. Mkay?
The race itself sucked. I'm not going to mince words here. It was severely unfun. I took off too fast, there were tonnnns of hills (as it was a trail race on an island) and it was possibly one of the hottest days this summer despite being September. My lungs were burning. I managed to get through a mile without walking, but after that I had a couple spots when I just had to stop. My mouth was full of dirt, I was sweating like a hoss, and I couldn't even enjoy the beautiful view because I had to look at the ground to make sure I didn't step into a hole or on a rock.
I honestly thought I might not make it. Also, probably should have eaten more than a slice of watermelon and a hunk of cheese all day. Oops.
Soon enough, it was over, and I'd earned myself a nice crappy time but not anything to be proud of. Not last though.
It's always the races with free beer and food that I do the worst at.
But I still get the free beer and food and t-shirt, and in this case, and awesome picnic on a friggin' island on a Thursday when I otherwise would have been at work.
So, awesome.
I need to find a running club or something. I just need to get better, take it to the next level, whatever you want to call it. I shouldn't be crapping out on a 2.5 mile run.
Anyway, back to watching the politics!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Falmouth Road Race - Race report
the way i'm going to go on about this you'd think i'd run a marathon or something.
last night my landlords had a rager of a party in the backyard.
they were playing outkast & justin timberlake very very loudly.
it was still going on when i got up (notice i didn't say "woke up", that would entail sleeping) at 4:30 this morning.my dad picked me up at 5.
he'd had to stay up all night. i already had arranged a ride courtesy of the extreme generosity of a good friend/part-time superhero, but my dad insisted on taking me, i believe for the following reasons.
1) he hates the idea of me imposing on anyone who isn't in the family (understandable).
2) he felt bad about saying he'd take me and then forgetting (the forgetting is TOTALLY understandable, he and mom were kind of homeless. been there, dudes.)
3) i think he sometimes still thinks i am 14 and shouldn't have friends who are boys.
needless to say, dad was a loopy mess for the entire day, but he's generally funniest that way.
anyway, i was overly paranoid about getting there on time, and we ended up getting to the buses before 7am. there was NO traffic. so i got on the first bus which took me to the starting line, where i had approximately 3 hours to wander around, do nothing, and get really nervous. luckily, i happened to walk by a small church right as the morning mass was starting, and hung out in the back for a little bit. there was one other runner there, so i didn't feel extremely weird, but weird enough not to stay for the whole thing. still, i left with the usual sense of calm that accompanies such ventures.
that left me with about an hour and a half to stretch, use the toilet eight times, lie around on the grass, listen to other people's conversations, and barge through ridiculous crowds of people with reckless disregard for human life to try and deduce the source of where everyone was getting those free bananas (no luck).
the wheelchairs took off first, and then the elite runners (those people don't even touch the ground. they hover. it's unreal.) with close to 11,000 runners, it was more than a little congested at first, but the use of several different starting groups helped. the streets were lined with spectators, and the Hood blimp hovered above as we waited at the start.
honestly, i didn't think i was going to finish. i'd never run more than five miles, i'd been lax in my training for the past couple weeks, and i was exhausted and starving. i gave myself permission to take walk breaks if i needed to, and as long as i finished, i'd be satisfied with that. but then the gun went off, and so did i.
the race course is so gorgeous i can't even describe it. after we went up the first hill and past the lighthouse, it was a beautiful view of the ocean and then into the woods for some much-appreciated shade. after that it's pretty much all ocean again for awhile until the last mile or so which is residential and then back around another lighthouse and down a hill to the finish.i remember telling myself that i could easily do 5K and then if i had to walk, i'd walk. that went by pretty quickly, so i told myself i've done five miles and if i do just a little bit more, i can walk. next thing i know i'm passing the 6 mile marker, and when i got to the final hill (it's a doooooozy) i realized i was going to finish the whole damn thing and started grinning like an idiot. then i saw my dad on the sidelines and had to wave at him and jump around because he didn't see me. it was all downhill to the finish, which was marked by a gigantic american flag hoisted into the air by a crane. it was beautiful, and i started to tear up a little, and next thing i know, i was done and i'd finished a 7.1 mile road race without stopping or walking (except for drink water/walk fast breaks of a couple seconds, choking doesn't help anyone run faster).
i am capable of so much more than i ever thought.
1:11:24
i hear tell that the winner ran the thing in 32 minutes or something absolutely insane.but you know what was really amazing? the blind runners, those with Down Syndrome, with various disabilities, running with guides helping them to the finish. the people with knee braces on who were pushing through it anyway, the older folks who shuffled their way from start to finish. even, as my mom would so graciously say, "all the fat girls". they have more determination and perseverance in their little fingers than i do in my whole body. they were all truly inspiring. and
the spectators were amazing. they lined the streets for nearly the whole course, handing out water and spraying us with their garden hoses. rows of young children waited with their hands outstretched as if we were all famous athletes. if there's anything that keeps a sista going, it's a little-kid-high-five.
after it was over i wandered around in a haze collecting race shwag and eating popsicles. the RMH folks had a cookout, and we went to that for a bit, but dad was about to pass out so we headed home.
hilarious dad moment - dad : "I probably should lock up the car, I have half my wardrobe, a TV, and a Winchester rifle in there". (this is true, he did have all of those things in the car).
last night my landlords had a rager of a party in the backyard.
they were playing outkast & justin timberlake very very loudly.
it was still going on when i got up (notice i didn't say "woke up", that would entail sleeping) at 4:30 this morning.my dad picked me up at 5.
he'd had to stay up all night. i already had arranged a ride courtesy of the extreme generosity of a good friend/part-time superhero, but my dad insisted on taking me, i believe for the following reasons.
1) he hates the idea of me imposing on anyone who isn't in the family (understandable).
2) he felt bad about saying he'd take me and then forgetting (the forgetting is TOTALLY understandable, he and mom were kind of homeless. been there, dudes.)
3) i think he sometimes still thinks i am 14 and shouldn't have friends who are boys.
needless to say, dad was a loopy mess for the entire day, but he's generally funniest that way.
anyway, i was overly paranoid about getting there on time, and we ended up getting to the buses before 7am. there was NO traffic. so i got on the first bus which took me to the starting line, where i had approximately 3 hours to wander around, do nothing, and get really nervous. luckily, i happened to walk by a small church right as the morning mass was starting, and hung out in the back for a little bit. there was one other runner there, so i didn't feel extremely weird, but weird enough not to stay for the whole thing. still, i left with the usual sense of calm that accompanies such ventures.
that left me with about an hour and a half to stretch, use the toilet eight times, lie around on the grass, listen to other people's conversations, and barge through ridiculous crowds of people with reckless disregard for human life to try and deduce the source of where everyone was getting those free bananas (no luck).
the wheelchairs took off first, and then the elite runners (those people don't even touch the ground. they hover. it's unreal.) with close to 11,000 runners, it was more than a little congested at first, but the use of several different starting groups helped. the streets were lined with spectators, and the Hood blimp hovered above as we waited at the start.
honestly, i didn't think i was going to finish. i'd never run more than five miles, i'd been lax in my training for the past couple weeks, and i was exhausted and starving. i gave myself permission to take walk breaks if i needed to, and as long as i finished, i'd be satisfied with that. but then the gun went off, and so did i.
the race course is so gorgeous i can't even describe it. after we went up the first hill and past the lighthouse, it was a beautiful view of the ocean and then into the woods for some much-appreciated shade. after that it's pretty much all ocean again for awhile until the last mile or so which is residential and then back around another lighthouse and down a hill to the finish.i remember telling myself that i could easily do 5K and then if i had to walk, i'd walk. that went by pretty quickly, so i told myself i've done five miles and if i do just a little bit more, i can walk. next thing i know i'm passing the 6 mile marker, and when i got to the final hill (it's a doooooozy) i realized i was going to finish the whole damn thing and started grinning like an idiot. then i saw my dad on the sidelines and had to wave at him and jump around because he didn't see me. it was all downhill to the finish, which was marked by a gigantic american flag hoisted into the air by a crane. it was beautiful, and i started to tear up a little, and next thing i know, i was done and i'd finished a 7.1 mile road race without stopping or walking (except for drink water/walk fast breaks of a couple seconds, choking doesn't help anyone run faster).
i am capable of so much more than i ever thought.
1:11:24
i hear tell that the winner ran the thing in 32 minutes or something absolutely insane.but you know what was really amazing? the blind runners, those with Down Syndrome, with various disabilities, running with guides helping them to the finish. the people with knee braces on who were pushing through it anyway, the older folks who shuffled their way from start to finish. even, as my mom would so graciously say, "all the fat girls". they have more determination and perseverance in their little fingers than i do in my whole body. they were all truly inspiring. and
the spectators were amazing. they lined the streets for nearly the whole course, handing out water and spraying us with their garden hoses. rows of young children waited with their hands outstretched as if we were all famous athletes. if there's anything that keeps a sista going, it's a little-kid-high-five.
after it was over i wandered around in a haze collecting race shwag and eating popsicles. the RMH folks had a cookout, and we went to that for a bit, but dad was about to pass out so we headed home.
hilarious dad moment - dad : "I probably should lock up the car, I have half my wardrobe, a TV, and a Winchester rifle in there". (this is true, he did have all of those things in the car).
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Race report - FIVE MILES
Oh, hello internet. It's a lovely evening in Southie, and yours truly here just ROCKED A FIVE MILE ROAD RACE. Suck on THAT, New Year's Resolutions.
I am so ridiculously proud of myself it's kind of embarrassing.
My neighborhood is amazing. Walking home from the Expo center with a dopey smile on my face, the sun was setting across the ocean and I heard the slightly off-pitch but still dulcet tones of an aging Sinatra impersonator and all was right with the world. I still had my race number on and oldtimers with their dogs and cigars clapped for me.
While I feel like I'm getting faster, according to most race results I'm sticking at around a ten minute mile (shut up, I never said I was fast). Near the end, my whole body was tingling, my arm was numb, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Then my Amazing DenialBrainBot4000 (usually utilized to convince myself that I'm not in love with people and/or don't need any friends) took over and by the time I reached the finish chute I passed eight people and almost forgot to stop.
Considering all I've had to eat today was half a salad and a handful of trail mix, I'm pretty impressed. Though I know that's not a healthy diet. And I've been so soul-crushingly sad for the past few weeks I could barely put one foot in front of the other, much less train for a race. Or get through a single hour of a single day without crying. (More on that later, because while it pains me to write about it or admit much of what has been going on, it must be done because a life without honesty is just stupid. Life is short, and I'm pretty sure that at the end of it there's nobody handing out cookies for not talking about stuff.)
Anyway I wish my roommate was home because I want to go drink a Guinness. That counts as dinner, right?
FIVE MILES, DUDES. FIVE. That's FOUR MORE THAN ONE, which is what I could barely run six months ago.
The below photos are from around mile 4.5 or so. I love that my face is all puppies and fluffy clouds but inside I'm cursing the day I was born and wishing I could curl up for a nice nap in the middle of Day Boulevard.
I am so ridiculously proud of myself it's kind of embarrassing.
My neighborhood is amazing. Walking home from the Expo center with a dopey smile on my face, the sun was setting across the ocean and I heard the slightly off-pitch but still dulcet tones of an aging Sinatra impersonator and all was right with the world. I still had my race number on and oldtimers with their dogs and cigars clapped for me.
While I feel like I'm getting faster, according to most race results I'm sticking at around a ten minute mile (shut up, I never said I was fast). Near the end, my whole body was tingling, my arm was numb, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Then my Amazing DenialBrainBot4000 (usually utilized to convince myself that I'm not in love with people and/or don't need any friends) took over and by the time I reached the finish chute I passed eight people and almost forgot to stop.
Considering all I've had to eat today was half a salad and a handful of trail mix, I'm pretty impressed. Though I know that's not a healthy diet. And I've been so soul-crushingly sad for the past few weeks I could barely put one foot in front of the other, much less train for a race. Or get through a single hour of a single day without crying. (More on that later, because while it pains me to write about it or admit much of what has been going on, it must be done because a life without honesty is just stupid. Life is short, and I'm pretty sure that at the end of it there's nobody handing out cookies for not talking about stuff.)
Anyway I wish my roommate was home because I want to go drink a Guinness. That counts as dinner, right?
FIVE MILES, DUDES. FIVE. That's FOUR MORE THAN ONE, which is what I could barely run six months ago.
The below photos are from around mile 4.5 or so. I love that my face is all puppies and fluffy clouds but inside I'm cursing the day I was born and wishing I could curl up for a nice nap in the middle of Day Boulevard.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Race report - Artesani Park 5k
My official time has yet to be posted, but it was either a flat 30 or 29:59. A minute plus better than my last run on this same course, despite the heat and the fact I walked what I felt was a substantial part of the race. The walking was totally due to lack of mental toughness, and it makes me angry, but at the same time I must have been really hauling to still have beaten my previous time.
This race was much smaller than the last, and there was this hilarious group of Cougars (I don't know what really qualifies them as Cougars, but they were older and hotter than me so Cougs they are) gushing over the young male runners who were obviously going to win the thing with their tiny shorts and complete lack of body fat (and shirts).
This race was much smaller than the last, and there was this hilarious group of Cougars (I don't know what really qualifies them as Cougars, but they were older and hotter than me so Cougs they are) gushing over the young male runners who were obviously going to win the thing with their tiny shorts and complete lack of body fat (and shirts).
Monday, June 23, 2008
Smuttynose Will Run for Beer 5k
Smuttynose "Will Run For Beer" 5k
The best race I've been too, and yet the most unpleasant and my worst 5k time to date. Whatever though, there was free beer and really ugly race tshirts. (Seriously, guys. Comic Sans? Is it discounted or something because it's such a joke? I don't know how this stuff works. Oh well, free is free.)
The four of us (me, Claire, and racing newbies Pat and Jenna) set off for the Land of the Free at around 8:30 after some confusion about our Zipcar (mainly that it wasn't there). We arrived in plenty of time, and went to pick up our numbers (on a super-immature sidenote, Pat was dissapointed that Jenna & I got numbers 67 and 68 and he somehow got 219 even though we'd all registered at the same time. Oh, ha ha).
While the race was chip timed and pretty well organized, it was still very casual. There was a guy with a mic who just said "go!" and it got clogged up for a minute or two at the front.
It was shaping up to be a hot day. Many of the good residents of Newmarket had placed sprinklers on the side of the street and I made it my business to jump through all of them. I seriously think I might be the sweatiest skinny white girl on the planet. When I'm doing a hard run, my face gets so red people stare at me in alarm. Just sayin'.
Pat immediately took the lead of the four of us (of course), and then Claire was behind him and Jenna and I jogged together for a minute or two before I started pulling ahead of her so none of us ran together the whole time. There was a loop-around where other runners would pass us, and Claire passed me at the corner and waved, then when I came to that corner Jenna was running into the loop so I waved at her. She yelled "THIS SUCKS!" at me, apparently making a lot of friends in the back of the pack.
I managed to run mile 1, but was getting really fatigued going into mile 2. I really didn't want to walk, since that's been my main goal in all of this, but my vision started to go a bit blurry so I figured it'd be best to walk a bit so I slowed right before the water stop. I drank one cup and dumped another one on my head. The rest was kind of a blur, running through sprinklers and trying to keep my pace up but I ended up walking for probably 3 or 4 minutes on and off.
The last part was an incredible steep hill, and I charged up that, collapsing on the grass with a lame stupid time of 35:12 (11:22 min/mile). Pat did great with a 28:16, Claire did 31:02 and Jenna came charging up the hill at 35:56.
Surprisingly (or not?) we all really did want a delicious, cold, frosty beer after that. Smutty is one of my faves so I was pretty excited. There was also tons of free pizza, wings, chili, bananas, various sports drinks we lumped together as "Haterade", and of course karaoke to set the mood. We spent the rest of the afternoon drinking Shoals Pale Ale and Smutty IPA and eating pizza and chilling at the Old Stone Church. Really really good times.
The best race I've been too, and yet the most unpleasant and my worst 5k time to date. Whatever though, there was free beer and really ugly race tshirts. (Seriously, guys. Comic Sans? Is it discounted or something because it's such a joke? I don't know how this stuff works. Oh well, free is free.)
The four of us (me, Claire, and racing newbies Pat and Jenna) set off for the Land of the Free at around 8:30 after some confusion about our Zipcar (mainly that it wasn't there). We arrived in plenty of time, and went to pick up our numbers (on a super-immature sidenote, Pat was dissapointed that Jenna & I got numbers 67 and 68 and he somehow got 219 even though we'd all registered at the same time. Oh, ha ha).
While the race was chip timed and pretty well organized, it was still very casual. There was a guy with a mic who just said "go!" and it got clogged up for a minute or two at the front.
It was shaping up to be a hot day. Many of the good residents of Newmarket had placed sprinklers on the side of the street and I made it my business to jump through all of them. I seriously think I might be the sweatiest skinny white girl on the planet. When I'm doing a hard run, my face gets so red people stare at me in alarm. Just sayin'.
Pat immediately took the lead of the four of us (of course), and then Claire was behind him and Jenna and I jogged together for a minute or two before I started pulling ahead of her so none of us ran together the whole time. There was a loop-around where other runners would pass us, and Claire passed me at the corner and waved, then when I came to that corner Jenna was running into the loop so I waved at her. She yelled "THIS SUCKS!" at me, apparently making a lot of friends in the back of the pack.
I managed to run mile 1, but was getting really fatigued going into mile 2. I really didn't want to walk, since that's been my main goal in all of this, but my vision started to go a bit blurry so I figured it'd be best to walk a bit so I slowed right before the water stop. I drank one cup and dumped another one on my head. The rest was kind of a blur, running through sprinklers and trying to keep my pace up but I ended up walking for probably 3 or 4 minutes on and off.
The last part was an incredible steep hill, and I charged up that, collapsing on the grass with a lame stupid time of 35:12 (11:22 min/mile). Pat did great with a 28:16, Claire did 31:02 and Jenna came charging up the hill at 35:56.
Surprisingly (or not?) we all really did want a delicious, cold, frosty beer after that. Smutty is one of my faves so I was pretty excited. There was also tons of free pizza, wings, chili, bananas, various sports drinks we lumped together as "Haterade", and of course karaoke to set the mood. We spent the rest of the afternoon drinking Shoals Pale Ale and Smutty IPA and eating pizza and chilling at the Old Stone Church. Really really good times.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Race report #2
Architecture for Humanity 5K
30:52
Way too early this morning the stove caught my favorite (okay, only) coffeepot on fire. The gas flames got too big for their britches and had an unfortunate meeting with the one plastic part on the thing, and now my stove is covered in melted plastic, the kitchen smells like crap, and I am down one coffeepot. The coffee came out fine, but when your favorite coffeepot has just caught on fire, there's nothing that can't be made better with some strategic cursing and a liberal splash of whiskey. So, at around 8am, I set off slightly intoxicated and pissed off to my second 5k race of the year/my life.
Long story short, when I finished the race I was no longer either of those things, so yay running!
This was an awesome race around the Charles River out by Harvard/Allston. The weather was perfect, sunny and breezy, and the course was almost all flat. I actually passed ten people (I counted), and though I only beat my previous time by a minute and am still running at around 10 min/mile, I was quite pleased.
Nacho and his friend Matt were there, which was a very nice surprise. They waited for me at the finish line and gave me high fives and back pats, which I must say, are even better than free race t-shirts (which I did not get). Hopefully will see them again tonight.
The Charles River Cleanup event was also taking place, and many of the volunteers participating paused their work and stopped to cheer and give high fives and yell encouragement to the runners. I realized then that running piddly short charity races is probably the closest I will ever get to my childhood dream of being a professional baseball player. And that's okay with me, it's probably closer than lots of people get to their childhood dreams of being ballerina astronaut pony farmers or whatever.
I'm starting to feel like running twice this distance is maybe not as much of an impossible feat as I originally thought. Not quite ready to try it out yet though. My new shoes are awesome, and what I originally thought might be stress fractures in both my ankles doesn't seem to have gotten any worse.
My back hurts, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, and I feel good.
30:52
Way too early this morning the stove caught my favorite (okay, only) coffeepot on fire. The gas flames got too big for their britches and had an unfortunate meeting with the one plastic part on the thing, and now my stove is covered in melted plastic, the kitchen smells like crap, and I am down one coffeepot. The coffee came out fine, but when your favorite coffeepot has just caught on fire, there's nothing that can't be made better with some strategic cursing and a liberal splash of whiskey. So, at around 8am, I set off slightly intoxicated and pissed off to my second 5k race of the year/my life.
Long story short, when I finished the race I was no longer either of those things, so yay running!
This was an awesome race around the Charles River out by Harvard/Allston. The weather was perfect, sunny and breezy, and the course was almost all flat. I actually passed ten people (I counted), and though I only beat my previous time by a minute and am still running at around 10 min/mile, I was quite pleased.
Nacho and his friend Matt were there, which was a very nice surprise. They waited for me at the finish line and gave me high fives and back pats, which I must say, are even better than free race t-shirts (which I did not get). Hopefully will see them again tonight.
The Charles River Cleanup event was also taking place, and many of the volunteers participating paused their work and stopped to cheer and give high fives and yell encouragement to the runners. I realized then that running piddly short charity races is probably the closest I will ever get to my childhood dream of being a professional baseball player. And that's okay with me, it's probably closer than lots of people get to their childhood dreams of being ballerina astronaut pony farmers or whatever.
I'm starting to feel like running twice this distance is maybe not as much of an impossible feat as I originally thought. Not quite ready to try it out yet though. My new shoes are awesome, and what I originally thought might be stress fractures in both my ankles doesn't seem to have gotten any worse.
My back hurts, my feet hurt, my legs hurt, and I feel good.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Marathon Monday
This afternoon, as I was walking my L.A. to the gym after leaving work early for no reason, I was so inspired seeing all the marathoners limping back from the finish line. Many covered in big silver capes, like the superheroes they probably are.
So I went to the gym, pumped to slog through my typical three miles on the treadmill, only to find out, after I finished dressed, that I had not brought any socks.
After some considerable colorful language, I tried to give myself the "Do It Anyway!" pep talk, like I do when I forget my iPod or headband, but there is only so much insanity that one can pep talk oneself into. So I went home.
I think I either have to am about to have a stress fracture in my right shin. Still, I signed up for another 5K for this coming weekend, even though I haven't been able to run the distance since the last one.
This is probably a bad idea.
So I went to the gym, pumped to slog through my typical three miles on the treadmill, only to find out, after I finished dressed, that I had not brought any socks.
After some considerable colorful language, I tried to give myself the "Do It Anyway!" pep talk, like I do when I forget my iPod or headband, but there is only so much insanity that one can pep talk oneself into. So I went home.
I think I either have to am about to have a stress fracture in my right shin. Still, I signed up for another 5K for this coming weekend, even though I haven't been able to run the distance since the last one.
This is probably a bad idea.
Monday, April 14, 2008
First race
Yesterday, I ran my first race, The Nashua Soup Kitchen Run for Food & Shelter. Considering I never thought I'd be able to run more than a mile and haven't intentionally run with another person since 4th grade track, this was a pretty big accomplishment. All I wanted to do was finish the race without stopping, and I did that. At the finish line, I almost blacked out, but thank goodness there were tons of free sandwiches.
My mom brought me to the race, but in typical my mom fashion, she went to Dunkin' Donuts and lost track of time so when I crossed the finish line, she wasn't there. Ohhh, my mom. She came wandering into the gymnasium about fifteen minutes later saying "I'm so sorry honey, I knew you couldn't still be running because I saw all these fat girls finishing and I knew you would have beaten the fat girls." She wouldn't stop talking about "the fat girls". I kept trying to explain to her that they were probably much better runners than I, and more power to them for doing the race, but she just wouldn't saying insensitive things in her outdoor voice. So I just sat on the grass for a couple minutes trying not to throw up and then staggered into the gymnasium to get some free food, even though I could barely hold up my plate.
I need to start running some hills. That's what made this particular race so difficult, is that it had a very slight incline right at the beginning and then again at the end and it was difficult to recover from.
In conclusion, 192/297, 31:06, 10:01 pace
My mom brought me to the race, but in typical my mom fashion, she went to Dunkin' Donuts and lost track of time so when I crossed the finish line, she wasn't there. Ohhh, my mom. She came wandering into the gymnasium about fifteen minutes later saying "I'm so sorry honey, I knew you couldn't still be running because I saw all these fat girls finishing and I knew you would have beaten the fat girls." She wouldn't stop talking about "the fat girls". I kept trying to explain to her that they were probably much better runners than I, and more power to them for doing the race, but she just wouldn't saying insensitive things in her outdoor voice. So I just sat on the grass for a couple minutes trying not to throw up and then staggered into the gymnasium to get some free food, even though I could barely hold up my plate.
I need to start running some hills. That's what made this particular race so difficult, is that it had a very slight incline right at the beginning and then again at the end and it was difficult to recover from.
In conclusion, 192/297, 31:06, 10:01 pace
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