Eating a banana talking to the press - no good pics really of the Tri-Cajuns kit. Hey I was hungry!
Photo credit to Peter G. Forest - nice man, hope I wasn't too hard on him!
Okay, okay moving on! First, Liam ran the ING Kids Rock "Last Mile of the Marathon" on Saturday, with Nic's accompaniment. Love that we got to cross the same finish line!
Saturday night we met at New Orleans Hamburger and Seafood Company, sharing stories and catching up with old friends and colleagues. Look at this group. Amazing! It includes so much awesomeness! Someone from the top 5 fastest women (Laura Zaunbrecher) and the bottom 5 (me ;) in the 1/2 are represented here. Let me stress that Laura Loo was in the TOP 5 WOMEN, over 10000 runners, and this is with a strained Achilles! Nic planned on racing then threw his back out and thought he couldn't do it. At the last minute he went ahead and did it anyway, in under 2 hours! Charles made the best support group - he's the fastest of everyone here but is content just to help everyone else. I'm just now noticing he's giving Loo bunny ears in this pic. Hilary and her friend Jennifer, both vets in South Carolina, flew down just for this race. Stephanie is another colleague of mine, lost over 10 pounds and trained for an entire year Just for this race - this was her first ever! How man people do you know make a 1/2 their first race? It was also James and Jane's first half. Alanna, vet tech extraordinaire, lost over 100# and has races scheduled at least every month through the summer. Charlotte ran more miles than she ever had before. Val flew down here not knowing anyone, melded right in, and did it! Her awesome husband with her. Dan made this his 15th 1/2 marathon. So YEAH, I'm awesome, but damn look at what I'm surrounded by!
SO: it was a dark and stormy night. Er, morning. 5AM was dark and so foggy it was rainy. The great amazing Pilates master Alyce bought trekking sticks (made for hiking) specifically so she could loan them to me so that I wouldn't have to lean just to one side with my cane the whole time. Malain was there to give me a proper start. Dan "Tidy Bowl" Man of the Voodoo Hash House Harriers was there with me luckily, because I couldn't see anything and the course wasn't entirely closed off yet, and there were cars - I was planning on following the map on the app but Malain and Tidy discussed where to go, he kept me on track, fended the cars off for me... saved me at least 30 minutes from not having to dodge cars or keep getting the phone out to check my course (New Orleans can be so confusing!) which means I would have had to stop, put down my trekking sticks, dodge a car, wait for wifi signal...anyway you get the idea. The first 3 miles are the hardest for me, my muscles don't work together and it takes them a while to get in groove. It was on St. Charles when it finally started getting light, and it was the perfect place to be to watch the runners start from the other side! The racing wheelchairs - so fast! - the elites, everyone everyone. Sooo many people calling out or thumbs up, but I really have to stay focused to keep my groove so Dan's job was now not only protecting me and everyone else from me, but answering back for me. I started making better time then, but slowed down about mile 10 or so. I was worried this would happen because my longest training had only been 9 miles due to the crazy ice from the cold front we recently had (My NOLA RnR 2014 Training Log). Mile 10ish on I was zombified - so tired and hard to walk! But it was part of what I bargained for. The red dress crew hashers were there manning a water (and beer) station. Cesar Torres of Q50 Ultras was incredibly encouraging. Gatorade around this time saved my life - it is Amazing what your body does when it goes hypoglycemic! I knew I could get up to a 20 min/mi pace, but as slow as a 33 or slower min/mi depending on weather - I'm a reptile; the colder the slower I am! So I estimated a 30 min/mi pace. Luckily it was warmer that day! I guess because of how early we started and all I'll never know Exactly how long it took me, but it looks like it was about a 27 min/mi pace. In all truth, I may never get to be faster than that. The injury is leaving residual co-contraction of my right knee, and I simply can't force it to bend it faster than I do now. I'm determined of course to find a way...just telling you what I'm up against. I loved watching my friends pass, and some stayed to talk and went on again. At the very end most caught up or came back for me and we went in together. Awesomeness.
Credit to James Brown
At the finish line there were of course cameras and reporters but every time I stopped I almost fell down. Liam ran out and met me. I was supposed to meet my people at the "M" but I had to go straight to the VIP tent to just sit. Then literally swamped with reporters, it just didn't work out that I could get over there. Dang. Never enough time. BUT it was fun! Good to know I can still be sarcastic and joke with strangers even that tired! ;) R'n'R was so so great, drove me to my ride even, had nothing but good to say. SO great. This is my race ya'll, now and forevermore.
The best part of all this press is that This is the story that Nic and I wanted you to get. We could be ourselves, have our own accomplishments, act silly and say what we want. Be who we are. It got reported that I'm a vet and I want to work again, and that we're normal, and I'm scared sometimes that I won't get everything back still...everything I wanted and that's really really me. (It's funny, I can walk but I still can't drive that far - it's sitting still that kills me!) But this was an accomplishment, not just a silly picture like last year's where we didn't really DO anything.
But maybe you already knew that from last year's picture. Maybe that foreshadowed something that I wasn't sure I could pull off, but you got it. It is entirely possible I was too hard on myself...
So okay, okay, it's cool if you use me as inspiration. I get it. I understand now. If me doing this is that extra UMPH that gets you to realize the things you want to do are worth it then Awesome! Go do things because it feeels good; whether you know it or not just reaching to the sky feels good and I wish I could do it. Feeling your body work naturally feels good. Go do it. Run a lot, or tri, or climb a huge mountain, or whatever floats your boat. Just promise me that you'll sometime down the line remember that YOU did it, yourself. Realize how awesome YOU are. WE are.
Even the Starbucks baristas are awesome. I'm surrounded by awesomeness.
As an aside, I only drink decaf, I have too much energy already, ha!
Credits - and I am sure I forgot some - Malain McCormick and the Competitor Group for letting me start 2 hours early and making this happen. Nic for being so awesome, along with his family. National triathlete Charles Garabedian, sponsored by Gatorade, provided the entry to last year's race and paved the way for this year to happen as well as helping this year work so smoothly. If you don't know anything else about them know that Gatorade sponsors incredible people that get great pleasure in going out of their way to help people succeed. Mari and Connie and Wulf and Simonne and all my therapists and docs and nurses - I was so incredibly fortunate to have so many good people. BikeLafayette for giving me focus. Alyce Wise Morgan and everyone at Camelia House. Damian and everyone at Anytime Fitness. Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine and Mizzou and all vets - I love my profession and my colleagues and they are always going to be a major part of my life. ALL of my friends, I would NOT have wanted to do this if it weren't for your support. ALL of the people racing with me - countless runners and their shouts of encouragement, thumbs up, amazing stories of their own, their own will and determination. Incredible. Everyone in and around and the city of New Orleans itself - you are always a big part of who I am. South Louisiana is incredible, it is This community that got me this far.
Up next? Corner Bar Youngsville with the hash kennel I co-started. I'm the guest of honor for Q50 Ultras USA 2014, for ultra marathoner trail races. In other words, crazy people ;) Love it. Also Lafayette's first marathon and half, Zydeco Marathon. Stoked. I want to do tris again, just maybe not quite fast enough on the run yet. We'll see. Have a fabulous week!
Press so far:
Pre-Race
Rock'n'Roll Competitor
Times Picayune
Post-Race
Huffington Post
Times Picayune
The Advocate
My awesome family
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