Tithers OFFICIAL post!

After a strange dream about surfing, row boats and Garmin devices, I woke up much too early and groaned...and dragged myself out of bed.<br><br>
I had my morning joe to get the numero dos out of me...worked NICELY!<br><br>
Don wanted to put on his jeans and spectate. I had to tell him to CTFU again and made him pin the number on and throw on his RR shorts and leave the jeans at home.<br><br>
We were 10 minutes late leaving the house, so I drove...like 80. If I missed the train we were fooked. MARTA isn't always smarta on the weekends...anyhoo-I have super skillz and got us to the train in plenty of time. I had to pee. they lock the bathrooms all night. WTF. I had to cross my legs.<br><br>
So we get to the Peachtree station...we go up what seems to be the world's steepest escalator and go outside.<br><br>
Who do I see RIGHT there...? Snooze and Becca! Ha...wasn't even the meetin' spot!<br><br>
So...I look at them and tell them I gots to pee. We head to Centenial Park and get in the "Happy Can" line. I hear "Sherry C...Sherry C..." Who else was it, but none other than my boss! It was her first half marathon! We hugged and she went off to do whatever bosses do before a race.<br><br>
I get in the happy can and do my business. I had a lot of business to do. I musta brokered a deal in there and sold some stock or something.<br><br>
After I got out of the happy can we gave gear check my bag.<br><br>
We were supposed to meet my friends at Ted's across from the Tabernacle across from the park...but b/c of my business in the can, we missed each other. No fear...we had time. We walked around a little to keep our legs warm.<br><br>
We got to the corner at the park and Becca was getting ready for her marathon. She was in Corral 3. Snoozie didn't lie when he said Becca cries at marathons...<img alt="sad2.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sad2.gif"> Becca's eyes turned bright red...but she's VERY cute when she cries. Snoozie showed her some huggie and kissie love. I wish I had the camera. It was a special moment. We gave her a hug and made our way to our corrals.<br><br>
Mr. Tithers is in a grouchy mood. He didn't want to run...so I said CTFU and gave him a kiss. He complained that he was in the slowest corral and they didn't even get the priviledge of being roped in.<br><br><b>ETA: We saw GEORGIA REBEL RUNNER...so now Snooze and Becca can add him the the "list!" He was a pacer for the 6 hour group...he got them across in a nice 5:58!</b>

Snoozie and I get in our corral...complain about the cold a little bit...and up comes my friend, Katie! She's a mentor for Team in Training...she's also the girl I switched jobs with. She's at my old school...am at her old school. This was also her first half marathon.<br><br>
She said she lined up with me because she thought she'd have some paparazzi attention. I told her I'm only famous on the internet! Diana DiGuarmo sang an AWESOME version of the Star Spangled Banner.<br>
A pigeon flew over in honor of Thor.<br><br>
15 minutes after the start we hit the line...it was the usual...a bunch of chirping. I was actually glad they corraled us...we didn't have to run anyone over in the beginning!<br><br>
So, during the first mile Snoozie is talking to me about his nipples and this and that and his numb spots. You know. Typical Tithers conversation. We were telling gross stories about exploding body fluids...then I don't know what happened, but we got distracted and the conversation went somewhere not as exciting. Snooze is my new hero! Snoozes brother is apparantly a very GOOD brother...he does Mr. Tithers types of things involving playing nurse. His brother LUCKILY does not do this type of Mr. Tithers thing with his brother... <img alt="sex.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/sex.gif"><br><br>
Mile 1 was slow...10:40. My legs were going...I felt good...but I thought...shit. I'll get slower...I'm going to do 2:20+. Remember...I've been sick...on antibiotics...etc. I thought I was doomed. Snoozie told me we were fine...and he knows where to push.<br><br>
Water stop! Yay! Water on the course this year...who'da thunk that?<br><br>
The hills were rolling...not too tough. My quads were tired from the get-go.<br><br>
We pass the MLK center...I pretty much thought we did it in the opposite direction last year. They DID change the course up a little!<br><br>
We hit an abandoned neighborhood and Snoozie finds a tree to pee in. I trotted along on the right...turned around and kept waving so he wouldn't lose me. Snooze is a very efficient pee-er. Dumb people were waiting in potty lines. I say go in your pants or find a bush.<br><br>
Snooze was cute. He started calculating where Becca was in the marathon...Snoozie loves him some Becca!<br><br>
Number one AWESOME thing about having Snoozie drag me along the course was that he was the water boy. I would run in the middle...Snoozie would grab cups and bring them to me. He didn't charge extra for that. I had my infinit custom drink. I'd sip on that throughout and take water at the stops. He would ask if I want another...I'm SPOILED now!<br><br>
We get to little 5 points-the eclectic side of town. I tell him we're about to hit Freedom Parkway. We go left onto Freedom...UP the hill...then we pass the Carter Center.<br>
T: "That's the Carter Center"<br>
S: "Is that a park?"<br>
T: "No...it's his library"<br>
S: "You mean like as in Jimmy Carter?"<br><br>
JC is a hero of mine. Anyhoo we went right and AVOIDED the mile long UPHILL that everyone HATED last year!<br><br>
My favorite part came next. We had a curvy downhill. Later I found out it was Mr. Tithers LEAST favorite part. Snoozie was a good coach...he reminded me to take advantage of the downs.<br><br>
So we ran up and down and down and up. And flat. And up and down and down and up.<br><br>
We head into Inman Park and the Highlands...the course split off after 7...I don't know where we are at this point. The race was a blur.<br><br>
Around mile 9 I started to BOINKY. I must not have been drinking enough infinit. I took a gel. A drink my water at the stop...this time I had to walk...I ran through all the other stops. We start running. Snoozie says "What's wrong?" "I'm thirsty." "Hold on...I'll run back and get you more water." He ran back and got me more water..."That was a lot longer than I thought." TG...b/c he saved me! That stop/mile was my longest. I did an 11:18.<br><br>
I got better until mile 11. Then things started getting tough. I was tired. Snooze told me I should be tired. I visualized my local route in my head and told myself I was almost there.<br><br>
We were getting near mile 12 and I got pissy w/a spectator...we had 1.2 left and she was telling everyone 2 more miles! Some f-bombs were yelled at her!<br><br>
At this point I got quiet. Snooze was sweet...kept encouraging me...asking who I should pass next.<br><br>
"I'm doing the best I can" "I know."<br><br>
I saw the CNN building...I knew I was close. We picked it up a little...we turned, ran along Centennial Park and then entered the park. What a disaster...they bottlenecked us into the finish. I was telling people to move over b/c Tithers was coming through! I turned another corner and almost knocked a dude over. Sorry dude! I sprinted to the finish. I don't know WHERE that came from!<br><br>
Official Race time: 2:18:00.<br>
Coach's goal time: 2:16:00<br>
Super-Secret Tithers goal time: 2:15:00<br>
Coach's "If Tithers has a really good day and went all out" time: 2:08<br>
Tithers' satisfied time: Anything under 2:20<br><br>
Last year's race I was 2:30:32<br>
Thangsgiving half PR: 2:27:42<br><br>
So...I got a PR by almost 10 minutes. That's a big deal! I've entered a new AG with a new PR!<br><br>
I beat my boss (whom I adore-she's not the same one who I got pissed at and dyed my hair purple) by 12 seconds...she did 2:18:12.<br><br>
I beat my friend Katie by almost 10 minutes...she did about the same time I did my TG race in. She weighs 70 pounds LESS than me...I thought for sure she'd smoke me.<br><br>
So...I need to drop weight...I could run a half sub 10s.<br><br>
Before I post splits...I wanted to mention a few revelations I had over the winter. Running was my weakest sport last year. It still IS my weakest sport, but I've made some gains.<br><br>
Thor posts a lot about his marathon a months...and his PRs, etc. Impressive all-around. I don't know WHY it took this long for me to "get it," but in one small RR he wrote about how at mile 15 it starts HURTING and then he "HANGS ON." For some dumb reason I had it in my head that running came easy for him or Sheldon or any other supa-hawt athletes we have on this board.<br><br>
Another thing that struck me is something QN posts a lot about. She knows she has the potential to be faster-she's not slow in my book-but my point is she's posted/talked to me about how she has a lot "left over" at the end of a race and can go run like another 5-10 miles if she wanted. You look at race calculators and see what you SHOULD be able to do. I never understood the concept of a LSR (still struggle with that) compared to sprinting a 5k.<br><br>
I think I started believing in my "run ability" after my 2 mile time trial. My first mile was 8:20....second was I forgot. But I did it in 17 and change. I really surprised myself. i didn't know I had it in me. I guess that goes with the lesson I learned from IMFL...I looked down at my WWTD (What Would Thor Do?) bracelet...and thought...DAMN...I feel good. I should make ones that say "Believe in Yourself!"<br><br>
So-I'm disappointed I didn't make Sheldon's goal, but proud of my gains. By the time I hit MARTA I was blowing chunks out of my nose and coughing up stuff that you cough up.<br><br>
On an EXCITING note...my grouchy husband had a Major PR. His super-secret goal he didn't tell me about was sub 3. Last year he did 3:24:24. It was pretty good for NOT training!<br><br>
Anyhoo-he had another season of NOT TRAINING and got a 2:54:52. Now...that's a ROCKSTAR!!!!!!!<br><br>
Mile 1-10:40<br>
Miles 2&3- 20:21<br>
Mile 4- 10:49<br>
Mile 5- 10:16<br>
Mile 6- 10:39<br>
Mile 7- 10:11<br>
Mile 8- 10:23<br>
Mile 9- 10:11<br>
Mile 10- 11:18<br>
Mile 11-10:23<br>
Mile 12- 10:50<br>
Mile 13.1 11:51