Michelle H., Cousin Pam, & Me before Preds 5k
Hannah & Lisa @ Preds game
Jeff & Hannah @ Preds game
Cousin Pam's husband, Tim & son, Liam. How cute are they?
Gnash!Fangtastic Fiasco:
It was a gorgeous day for a race in downtown Nashville, about 40 degrees @ 10am & sunny. I was in shorts, long sleeve tech shirt, short sleeve tech shirt, & gloves. I was overdressed. I should NOT have worn the short sleeve & gloves, but oh well... I felt good, seriously. I got caught up in the excitement of this family oriented Predators Fangtastic 5k. It's probably one of the hilliest 5ks around. It takes off from the Summet Center goes up near the river over to Gay St. Those of you that ran the '04 1/2 CMM marathon will remember going up James Robertson around mile 11. (that hill was taken out in '05) That gradual long uphill made me more than a minute OVER my sub 2 hr goal that year. I hate James Robertson Parkway but I've run it so many times so it's not like I didn't know about it. Ironically, my 5k PR is on this course from 2 yrs ago. (24:40) If I had done a flat 5k that winter, I know I could have gone under 24 mins. Today, I was 28:22!! Believe it or not, I was 4th in my age range. I was so close to finally winning an age grade award on yet another miserable race time (award is a Preds puck). Wouldn't that have been a hoot!?
How I felt:
At mile .5, I realized I should have left one of my shirts in the car. At about mile 1.10, the 1st spit of the race, mile 1.7 was 2nd spit, & then about mile 2.5 the 3rd & final spit. This time I was not so graceful & discreet. Phelgm stuck to my leg & ran down it until about mile 2.8. (NOT PRETTY!) I wanted to puke. I wanted to walk J. R. Pkway. I wanted to stop running but I would rather die than walk during a 5k & I know that's my pride kicking in but that's how bad I felt.
The others:
Jeff, Hannah's fiance' was having a ball running his 1st 5k in his Red Wings jersey. He kept coming up next to me shedding clothes & smoked me in the end. He did a 27:07. Not bad for a 1st timer on such a hilly course. If he had been dressed "appropriately" he would have easily shaved over a minute off, I'm sure of it. Hannah sure did well not to have run much at all. She did a 32:35. Cousin, Pam, did 44:45 on her 1st 5k. I'm so proud of her. Michelle H. did 32:57, which is GREAT considering she had a C-section 12 weeks ago! Michelle, you Rocked it, honey. What's priceless is that I've never heard anyone say, "I need to go pump (my breasts)" immediately after a 5k race. That was a first!!! ha!
I'm officially a drop out:
After much discussion with friends, relatives, & running buddies (with years of experience), I made the decision today to bow out of Mercedes. I'm weak. I'm so weak that the thoughts of walking during a 5k scared the absolute hell out of me. It's not that I mind walking a good bit of a marathon. It's the fact that I'm weak, tired, & pretty fed up with how I feel. I've decided to use my head for once. I'm making an appointment for a complete physical. I have 2 other races to worry about now, Tom King 1/2 & CMM 1/2. I have to get my energy back by the time those races roll around. By backing out, I believe I'll speed up the healing process of whatever is plaguing my sinuses, draining into my stomach, & making me NOT enjoy my running. I have no hip issues right now like I did in the Fall. My left knee is sore but it's always sore. It's time to heal internally. Something I'm not used to doing. My spirit is shot & Lisa needs to get her groove back. :)
Stalking:
The legendary, Wayne Gretsky is the coach of the Phoenix hockey team. We were thrilled to see him at the game but I could have cared less about a photo op with him. Then we spotted Jeff Fisher! People were taking photos! So, in our usual fashion, Hannah & I take off to find him to get a pic while there was an intermission. Apparently, during our sprint downstairs, he went into hiding. We casually walked past security, like we've done so many times at LP Field, & he was gone! We waited, listened in on conversations, etc...still no sight of him...until we went back up to our seats. Drat!!! Oh well, there's always the charity softball game. :) During the '03 Titan's season, I discovered Coach Fisher's pre home game ritual. He runs before each home game. I used to time it just right to be at the ramp when he finished up. People usually have enough sense to leave him alone while he's running but man, what great legs he has believe it or not. For a man his age, he's pretty darn good looking when he doesn't have that "old man" gray beard thing going on. :)
Proposed Cross training:
Pole dancing. As I was taking off my layers at Hannah's, she noted that my ABs are fabulous.
Yeah, they look pretty darn good if I say so myself. (it's the pilates) So, I'm going to get a 2nd job pole dancing on the weekends until my body heals. (KIDDING!!!)
I see a lot of elliptical, bike, weights, pilates, & walking/jogging in my near future. Not saying I'm not going to run at all. Just saying that the next 2 wks I'm going to take it easy. If I feel like staying in bed all day curled up in a comforter, I will do it, for a change. :) In the back of my feeble mind, I'm remembering the Cedars of Lebanon 1/2 marathon & I really wish I would forget that thought.
Super Bowl:
I have to type it again on here. Go Giants!!
