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And in the beginning there was the 5K...<br><br><b>Maples</b> and I arrived in B-ham Friday night, meeting up with <b>Tim and boB</b> at a Greek place across from our hotel. Shortly after we arrived <b>Beth</b> walked in. While there I think someone jokingly said something about me registering for the HM. And I just kinda smiled. It was already on my mind and had been for about a week. As we were leaving the place I told <b>Beth</b> I was 90% sure I wanted to do it. I could walk some, right? I started thinkin' I can do this, sure I really can.<br><br>
That night I pestered <b>Beth</b> with all kinds of questions. What do I need (lucky for me the expo had everything I needed!), what about the hills, what are sports beans ect. ect. I'm sure she was glad when I finally quieted down and fell asleep that night! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br>
The morning of the 5K I was in a good mood but kinda antsy because I knew to be smart about saving myself for the HM the next day I couldn't go all out like I really, really, really wanted to in the 5K. Which means my original secret goal of under thirty minutes in my first 5K was thrown out the window. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"><br><br><b>Tim</b> thought we were all rock stars and tried to keep us toward the front of the start but we all started inching back as much as possible. I surely wanted to let the speedys out first. Now, we know <b>Tim</b> is a speedy but I'm surely not!!<br><br>
We started off fine at a good pace. Prob. about .5 miles into the race <b>Tim</b> and <b>boB</b> started to pull away from us. I really wanted to go a little faster with them but I kept telling myself be smart, just relax and have fun.<br><br>
So I decided to spend the race bullying <b>Chris</b> into running a good pace. He was such a trooper with me. He did such a great job! I prob. annoyed him half to death because the nurse in me came out and I kept asking him assessment questions every quarter mile or so.<br><br>
Sometime around the first mile my shoe lace came untied. Flash back in my mind to <b>Beth</b> helping me secure the chip to my shoe and her watching me tie my shoes again. She made a comment that she always double knots her laces. I said, I don't and I've never had any problems. Well sure enough, look what happened! I think I set myself up for that!<br><br>
We got past the 2nd mile and I spent this mile trying to distract <b>Chris</b>. I told him to picture his top five - cause he posted some ridiculous boob shots of those girls- bouncing up and down cheering him on! He said something about there only being so much of him to go around at one time and I called him a slut! Then I threatened to sing to him the LSU fight song, he did have to suffer through a bit of Hey fightin' Tigers and We are the Champions! He threatened to slow down if I didn't stop singing! Just about this time Speedy doubled back to encourage us. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br><br>
We got within sight of the finish line and I felt sure that <b>Chris</b> would finish as strong as I knew he would so I left him to run in. It wasn't the time I wanted originally, but it was a good time so I was happy with it. Truth is, if I would have payed attention to the fact that it was 33:31, I would have slowed my butt a bit because wouldn't 33:33 have been too darn cool? Yeah, I'm a dork, I know!<br><br>
Needless to say, the 5K was a lot of fun and I got a cool red long sleeve tech shirt out of the deal! <img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif"><br><br><br>
Pics of me and <b>Chris</b> taken by <b>boB</b><br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/bobmann/Mercedes%20Marathon%202008/DSC01553_TiffMaples4.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
After the 5K we went to the Expo and I walked straight back to the registration table and signed up for the HM before I had any more time to think about it. After that I did an un me thing to do, I shopped like a girl! I bought everything I needed for the next day and a few things I wanted. We only have a couple of small running store in town so this was like Christmas for me!<br><br>
Now, I'm just going to go ahead and say it so y'all can admit it. You all thought I was insane and were takin' bets as to which mile I'd crash and burn weren't you??!! <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif"> Trust me, pre-race I'd have gotten in on that action too if I could have!<br><br>
The morning of the race I was sooooo pumped. If I had to stand still too long I seriously might have started bouncing up and down I had so much nervous, excited energy flowing inside of me.<br><br>
I lined up with <b>Beth</b> and had plans to try and stay with her for about five or six miles. I could at least try to hang with her until the F'in hill between mile five and six.<br><br>
The first few miles went by fine and I was amused that I could tell when <b>Beth</b> switched to a song that really pumped her up cause her pace would pick up. All through out the race she'd sing from time to time and I had a great time being distracted as I tried to name that tune. We found out we listen to a lot of the same music so I knew most of it.<br><br>
We got to the F'in hill and this is where it started getting serious for me. I got to the point where I wanted to walk much sooner than <b>Beth</b> was at the point that she needed to walk any but I kept staying with her thinking if I can make it to that Asian place <b>Tim</b> point out to us when we drove the course the day before it's down hill from there and the worse, except another smaller hill a bit down the way, was over. So I started telling myself to push through, hang with <b>Beth</b>, as long as possible as I whispered to myself in my mind in cadence with my steps, F this hill, F this hill. I know I was mumbling the word and I asked <b>Beth</b> later if she heard me cursing the hill and she said she hadn't. Thankfully sometime towards the worse part of the hill we walked for about three minutes. After that we hit an aid station I ate a piece of a banana and drank some water then we stretched for a couple of quick minutes.<br><br>
Back on our way down the hill was an interesting experience for me. There are no freakin' hills in Louisiana, unless you count the Indian mounds at LSU and somehow I don't think those count! Going downhill for me was fun and funny. I could not control how fast I was going. I was having a time with it. I'm yelling back to <b>Beth</b> I can't slow down! I think she was listening to Lose yourself at one point and I thought, oops there goes gravity! So I'm going faster down this hill yelling back to her and this guy next to me is just cracking up.<br><br>
I remember approaching mile eight and <b>Beth</b> commenting I'd gone further than I'd ever gone before and thinking ok, this is good, I might be able to do this.<br><br>
I don't remember much between miles eight and ten other than there was another short steep hill that I wasn't too fond of. I ended up walking just a bit up it then right past it was the ten mile marker.<br><br>
Miles ten through 13.05 weren't very fun for me. Just past ten we took a short stretch time again then walked a bit to eat some super sugary sweet sports beans and down some water.<br><br>
The little break helped some and before I knew it we were a little over a mile from the finish line. I was already pretty darn tired at this point. But there was a few things fueling me. I wanted to prove everyone who had any doubts wrong, I was close to finishing with a damn good time for a first HM I didn't even train for, I'm really good at mind over matter type of thinking, and beyond every other reason I desired a strong finish and a good time.<br><br><b>Beth</b> noticed a beer stop at the final mile marker and despite thinking that'd be nice I told her to go ahead and get some I'd go to a fast walk pace and she could catch up with me. I used this as my last little rest before she caught back up to me after walking a few seconds and throwing down some beer. <img alt="notworthy.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/notworthy.gif"><br><br>
That last mile was sloooooow but <b>Beth</b> would say only a 3/4 a mile left, only 1/2 a mile now. And it didn't matter to me that my right ITB was tight or that I was tired I was finishing this darn thing. The right ITB had been pretty tight since around the 10th mile but it wasn't hurting me, I was just very aware of it.<br><br>
I thought a bit about my daughter in this mile, how she'd never walked a step in her life. And here I was running a distance I'd never done before. It was a humbling thought. I thought, she'd be pretty darn proud of me. It was very much a mind over matter time where I thought, this is nothing, you can do this.<br><br>
We came around the corner and were .1 miles from the finish line. I could see it and at that moment when I had decided to go ahead and sprint in, give my finish the last of my energy I felt this wave of nauseas and I thought, WTF! Not now! No way! At .1 miles until the finish. No freakin' way! Luckily it passed a few seconds later and I went ahead and accelerated at that point to finish. I have no idea what my finishing shot looks like. All I know is after the nausea passed I looked up, sped up and was smiling huge thinking I'm about to finish my first HM, I can't believe it! It felt so incredibly good.<br><br>
My chip time- 2:33:57 And apparently sometime between the 5K and the HM I moved to Short Hills, NJ! Because that's where they had me listed from for the HM but not for the 5K<br><br>
Huge props to <b>Beth</b> and all her help along the way. I'm so glad I got to run my first HM with her. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> Thank-you!!!<br><br>
Looking forward to training for my next HM and hopefully improving!<br><br>
"If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives." Vince Lombardi<br><br><br>
Here's the pic of me after finishing.<br><br><br><img alt="" src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u186/lsufantiff/Racinbama0232.jpg" style="border:0px solid;">
That night I pestered <b>Beth</b> with all kinds of questions. What do I need (lucky for me the expo had everything I needed!), what about the hills, what are sports beans ect. ect. I'm sure she was glad when I finally quieted down and fell asleep that night! <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif"><br><br>
The morning of the 5K I was in a good mood but kinda antsy because I knew to be smart about saving myself for the HM the next day I couldn't go all out like I really, really, really wanted to in the 5K. Which means my original secret goal of under thirty minutes in my first 5K was thrown out the window. <img alt="sad.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad.gif"><br><br><b>Tim</b> thought we were all rock stars and tried to keep us toward the front of the start but we all started inching back as much as possible. I surely wanted to let the speedys out first. Now, we know <b>Tim</b> is a speedy but I'm surely not!!<br><br>
We started off fine at a good pace. Prob. about .5 miles into the race <b>Tim</b> and <b>boB</b> started to pull away from us. I really wanted to go a little faster with them but I kept telling myself be smart, just relax and have fun.<br><br>
So I decided to spend the race bullying <b>Chris</b> into running a good pace. He was such a trooper with me. He did such a great job! I prob. annoyed him half to death because the nurse in me came out and I kept asking him assessment questions every quarter mile or so.<br><br>
Sometime around the first mile my shoe lace came untied. Flash back in my mind to <b>Beth</b> helping me secure the chip to my shoe and her watching me tie my shoes again. She made a comment that she always double knots her laces. I said, I don't and I've never had any problems. Well sure enough, look what happened! I think I set myself up for that!<br><br>
We got past the 2nd mile and I spent this mile trying to distract <b>Chris</b>. I told him to picture his top five - cause he posted some ridiculous boob shots of those girls- bouncing up and down cheering him on! He said something about there only being so much of him to go around at one time and I called him a slut! Then I threatened to sing to him the LSU fight song, he did have to suffer through a bit of Hey fightin' Tigers and We are the Champions! He threatened to slow down if I didn't stop singing! Just about this time Speedy doubled back to encourage us. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"><br><br>
We got within sight of the finish line and I felt sure that <b>Chris</b> would finish as strong as I knew he would so I left him to run in. It wasn't the time I wanted originally, but it was a good time so I was happy with it. Truth is, if I would have payed attention to the fact that it was 33:31, I would have slowed my butt a bit because wouldn't 33:33 have been too darn cool? Yeah, I'm a dork, I know!<br><br>
Needless to say, the 5K was a lot of fun and I got a cool red long sleeve tech shirt out of the deal! <img alt="cool.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/cool.gif"><br><br><br>
Pics of me and <b>Chris</b> taken by <b>boB</b><br><br><img alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/bobmann/Mercedes%20Marathon%202008/DSC01553_TiffMaples4.jpg" style="border:0px solid;"><br><br>
After the 5K we went to the Expo and I walked straight back to the registration table and signed up for the HM before I had any more time to think about it. After that I did an un me thing to do, I shopped like a girl! I bought everything I needed for the next day and a few things I wanted. We only have a couple of small running store in town so this was like Christmas for me!<br><br>
Now, I'm just going to go ahead and say it so y'all can admit it. You all thought I was insane and were takin' bets as to which mile I'd crash and burn weren't you??!! <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif"> Trust me, pre-race I'd have gotten in on that action too if I could have!<br><br>
The morning of the race I was sooooo pumped. If I had to stand still too long I seriously might have started bouncing up and down I had so much nervous, excited energy flowing inside of me.<br><br>
I lined up with <b>Beth</b> and had plans to try and stay with her for about five or six miles. I could at least try to hang with her until the F'in hill between mile five and six.<br><br>
The first few miles went by fine and I was amused that I could tell when <b>Beth</b> switched to a song that really pumped her up cause her pace would pick up. All through out the race she'd sing from time to time and I had a great time being distracted as I tried to name that tune. We found out we listen to a lot of the same music so I knew most of it.<br><br>
We got to the F'in hill and this is where it started getting serious for me. I got to the point where I wanted to walk much sooner than <b>Beth</b> was at the point that she needed to walk any but I kept staying with her thinking if I can make it to that Asian place <b>Tim</b> point out to us when we drove the course the day before it's down hill from there and the worse, except another smaller hill a bit down the way, was over. So I started telling myself to push through, hang with <b>Beth</b>, as long as possible as I whispered to myself in my mind in cadence with my steps, F this hill, F this hill. I know I was mumbling the word and I asked <b>Beth</b> later if she heard me cursing the hill and she said she hadn't. Thankfully sometime towards the worse part of the hill we walked for about three minutes. After that we hit an aid station I ate a piece of a banana and drank some water then we stretched for a couple of quick minutes.<br><br>
Back on our way down the hill was an interesting experience for me. There are no freakin' hills in Louisiana, unless you count the Indian mounds at LSU and somehow I don't think those count! Going downhill for me was fun and funny. I could not control how fast I was going. I was having a time with it. I'm yelling back to <b>Beth</b> I can't slow down! I think she was listening to Lose yourself at one point and I thought, oops there goes gravity! So I'm going faster down this hill yelling back to her and this guy next to me is just cracking up.<br><br>
I remember approaching mile eight and <b>Beth</b> commenting I'd gone further than I'd ever gone before and thinking ok, this is good, I might be able to do this.<br><br>
I don't remember much between miles eight and ten other than there was another short steep hill that I wasn't too fond of. I ended up walking just a bit up it then right past it was the ten mile marker.<br><br>
Miles ten through 13.05 weren't very fun for me. Just past ten we took a short stretch time again then walked a bit to eat some super sugary sweet sports beans and down some water.<br><br>
The little break helped some and before I knew it we were a little over a mile from the finish line. I was already pretty darn tired at this point. But there was a few things fueling me. I wanted to prove everyone who had any doubts wrong, I was close to finishing with a damn good time for a first HM I didn't even train for, I'm really good at mind over matter type of thinking, and beyond every other reason I desired a strong finish and a good time.<br><br><b>Beth</b> noticed a beer stop at the final mile marker and despite thinking that'd be nice I told her to go ahead and get some I'd go to a fast walk pace and she could catch up with me. I used this as my last little rest before she caught back up to me after walking a few seconds and throwing down some beer. <img alt="notworthy.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/notworthy.gif"><br><br>
That last mile was sloooooow but <b>Beth</b> would say only a 3/4 a mile left, only 1/2 a mile now. And it didn't matter to me that my right ITB was tight or that I was tired I was finishing this darn thing. The right ITB had been pretty tight since around the 10th mile but it wasn't hurting me, I was just very aware of it.<br><br>
I thought a bit about my daughter in this mile, how she'd never walked a step in her life. And here I was running a distance I'd never done before. It was a humbling thought. I thought, she'd be pretty darn proud of me. It was very much a mind over matter time where I thought, this is nothing, you can do this.<br><br>
We came around the corner and were .1 miles from the finish line. I could see it and at that moment when I had decided to go ahead and sprint in, give my finish the last of my energy I felt this wave of nauseas and I thought, WTF! Not now! No way! At .1 miles until the finish. No freakin' way! Luckily it passed a few seconds later and I went ahead and accelerated at that point to finish. I have no idea what my finishing shot looks like. All I know is after the nausea passed I looked up, sped up and was smiling huge thinking I'm about to finish my first HM, I can't believe it! It felt so incredibly good.<br><br>
My chip time- 2:33:57 And apparently sometime between the 5K and the HM I moved to Short Hills, NJ! Because that's where they had me listed from for the HM but not for the 5K<br><br>
Huge props to <b>Beth</b> and all her help along the way. I'm so glad I got to run my first HM with her. <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif"> Thank-you!!!<br><br>
Looking forward to training for my next HM and hopefully improving!<br><br>
"If you'll not settle for anything less than your best, you will be amazed at what you can accomplish in your lives." Vince Lombardi<br><br><br>
Here's the pic of me after finishing.<br><br><br><img alt="" src="http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u186/lsufantiff/Racinbama0232.jpg" style="border:0px solid;">
