My chip time = 02:03:13
Age group/women = 218/664
All women = 1267/4263
Total Finishers: 3773/8697
I am pleased with my result, especially on this course. Now, i know I can gun to break 2 hours. Also, I am pleased with how I fared amongst all runners because this was a large race and it gives me a good gauge. Now, gotta see what’s next…
Had a solid race. Finish time: 2:03; very pleased. I beat my goal of 2:05. I pushed pretty hard the entire 2nd half which was a long gradual uphill. The most participants of any previous race. Over 10k. Lots of spectators too! I made a good breakfast when i returned home and am now just chillin’. GOBBLE GOBBLE All!
Things I am thankful for today and everyday:
-fleece clothing
-coffee, cream & sugar
-the ability to smell roses
-the ability to see the moon and stars
-the ability to taste incredible flavors
-the ability to hear beautiful sounds
-good hugs from good friends
-my heart pumping & my brain functioning
-my blackberry
-money for a massage
-a good red wine, good cosmopolitan, & a good margarita ( thou not all at once)
-sunday football
-a friend who listens
-my clients…and listening to their stories
-people who help me remember to be more forgiving, more compassionate with myself & others
-all my body parts
-my memory
-people who inspire me
-people who challenge me & give me pause
-the clothes on my back
-my freedom.
Tomorrow at 7:00am, I will be running the Atlanta Half-Marathon.
http://www.atlantatrackclub.org/at03000.htm/
I really like that this is a Thanksgiving Day tradition here in Atlanta. However, I have only done this race once before, in 2004. On that day, I ran 2:09. What I recall from the race was how cold and windy it was at the start. I wore shorts, nylon adidas pants, a shirt and a long sleeve fleece and I DID NOT GET HOT. That was my longest race of the year and considering the circumstances at the time, I was ok with my result.
My best time overall for the Half-Marathon is 2:01:44, which occurred in 1999 in San Francisco. All flat, believe it or not, but with some wind for a good 3 miles along the GREAT HIGHWAY next to the Pacific Ocean. That was the first Half I’ve ever done. I’m a little surprised i have not been able to break 2 hrs. YET. That day will come. But, not tomorrow. If I am able to finish in 2:05 or under, I will be pleased. We’ll see. It will be cold, but I don’t think there is any forecast for wind. Yes, it’s a “race”, but it’s not something that I am super hyped about or have done much focused training for, so that is kinda nice to not feel a lot of anxiety. Also, there are about 8 people from my office running, which has got to be some kind of a record. As we have gotten new hires, more of them are of the runnin’ type, so that is pretty cool. Should be a large group out there. I think in the 10K neighborhood.
Have a great day all!
“Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’. The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.” – Paul Tergat
You know how there are some lessons you just have to keep learning?
DAMN!
Isn’t it just sooo great to get new runnin’ stuff??? I just LOVE it. Since it has gotten cold and I hadn’t been able to find my little black gloves, I wanted to get some new ones. Last Tuesday, i was talking to my pal at work who is also a runner.
me: I’m going to Dick’s (sporting goods) to get us some gloves.
pal: (smiling) yeah! I’ll pay you back
me: no, i don’t want you to. i just want you to have something for your hands in the mornings.
pal: ok. then, later i’ll go and get us hats.
me: i don’t need a hat, but you get one for you.
And with that, I was off to Dick’s. And what do i see when i first walk in the door. A hat that i want!! (i don’t need one. I have a black Asics beanie hat) But, there it was before my eyes a really cool looking one. It was fleece, all grey with a orange trim. With a little Reebok logo. It was cool! I didn’t buy it. I looked around and bought us each a black pair of Nike gloves and then looked in the men’s section at the LIVESTRONG shirts. I already have a mossy-like green one, but I have always wanted another cause i love it. I looked and they were now on sale. YIPPEE. I got a swanky new black one! On sale. I paid for my things and then went back to the office. My pal liked her gloves.
Me: ok, i changed my mind on the hat. I saw one i wanted.
Pal: ok, i’ll go later and get us hats.
Yeah, now i have new hat, gloves and shirt. I’ve been wearing the hat at least once a day. At night while going to the store, or just walking around the house, and oh, while running.
November 23: 5.64 miles, 55:05, 9:46 pace – Peachtree Rd, HILLY
November 22: 5.1 miles, 50:10, 9:50 pace – hilly
November 20: 3.1 miles, 30:10, 9:43 pace- neighborhood
November 18: 2.9 miles, 28:18, 9:42 pace – cold/windy – neighborhood
I think although my paces are not improving (and I haven’t been working on it) I do feel stronger with all the hills I have been running. I have taken a break from the gym, so no treadmill. There is virtually no flat lands around so it’s by default really. I’m glad. I gotta keep getting my legs strong. I still have not decided on running 1/2 marathon on thanksgiving. I do, however, have a free race # from someone who can’t use it, so that’s cool. I don’t really know why I am hesitating…I guess cause I know i am not in that distance for “race shape”. I’d be happy with a 2:05. We’ll see.
The JFK 50 Mile race was today. Last year, I ran it and failed to finish my first 50 Miler. I missed the cut off time at mile marker 34.4 and could not continue on the trail, officially. I thought about the people who would be out there today while I did a 5 miler in my neighborhood. My feet ran over and crunched on sidewalks filled with leaves; i remember the Appalachian Trail during last years race was not even visible in many area due to the same sort of leaves all over the place. Wonderful. Beautiful. Tricky and required constant monitoring of my steps. A year later, I am still sore about my DNF. The soreness won’t go away until I finish a 50. I know I can. I just gotta pick one and go for it again.
“Success is maintaining your enthusiasm between failures” – Winston Churchill
Yesterday was my grandma’s birthday. I called her Grams while she was alive. She was pretty nutty and a little eccentric, especially if she had been drinking. She would start to dance around a little bit and utter things that made absolutely no sense at all, like “that’s a BA BA”. And she would just hum and sip her drink. And hum some more. Sometimes on Thanksgiving we would have eggnog and E&J Brandy. I miss that. I miss her and her nuttiness. And her damn good cookin’
Happy Birthday Grams. That’s a BA BA!!
“Death twitches my ear. ‘LIVE”, he says, “I am coming.” – Virgil
Imagine you are a doctor and you have patients that you think could possibly be ill. Well, actually, they show signs of something that could be of great damage to them. But right now, they don’t. You explain to your clients your suspicions, but they don’t listen. They don’t take your advice to really have a full and thorough check-up.
So, fast forward to present day. Your patients now believe they should have a full and thorough check-up; they believe that something could be wrong. You’ve called and asked them again to come on in and take a look at things. They tell you they are going to seek the opinion and possible care of a different doctor.
No. I am not a doctor, but maybe you get the picture.
Oh, life…
I’m in my office this morning with my door slightly ajar.
Colleague (#1) who is in office beside mine walks into his office and says hello to the guy (#2) who sits outside our offices.
#1 says to #2: “hey, did you read that article in the New York Times today?
#2 says: “i wouldn’t wipe my ass with the New York Times. What article?”
Woke up early Saturday morning and saw the streets were wet from intermittent rain throughout the night. A lot of pretty leaves had fallen, but there were still plenty of the trees. It felt like a big decision of where to run. I wanted to run among the beauty, but I also wanted to run along PEACHTREE Rd cause i may run the Thanksgiving Day 1/2 marathon which is all along Peachtree. hmmm… well, i decided i would go for the more aesthetically pleasing route and include some hills along the way. I also didn’t have any gels, so I decided to run from my house onto and along Ponce de Leon and into Decatur. I could make a quick pit stop at THE BIG PEACH and then continue on…which is exactly what I did. The guys who work there are cool cats and we all know each other from runnin’. I got a few gels for today and tomorrow and continued on. If you ever come to Atlanta, running along the Ponce de Leon corridor is one of the prettiest places to run, regardless of season. I circled back and returned along the less attractive College and then Dekalb Aves. My aim at the start was 10, but at 8, i decided that was enough.
At 5pm, I headed down to midtown for a rally/protest/candlelight vigil for gay marriage. LOTS of folks showed up and it was neat to be a part of it all. Lots of people driving by honked their horns and/or waved in support. Lots of good signs up! The crowd was a mix of the following: gay/straight/women/men/black/white/asian/hispanic/children…nice! There’s a lot of work to do…especially here in Georgia, which is one of the only states WITHOUT a HATE CRIME LAW. I swear….sometimes I wonder what i am doing here…
Sunday morning woke up a little later. About 10 degrees cooler. Started run at 41 degrees and WINDY. Today was the peachtree day. I had my beauty yesterday. Today was no looking around and feeling all good about the surroundings. Today was all on sidewalks and looking straight ahead and getting up the moderate, yet very long climb from the edge of Buckhead and into downtown and then back. Nothing fancy. Nothing extremely attractive about it. Just cold and windy. 6.56 miles
I have not decided yet if i will run on the holiday. i’m already passed the point where I could get a cheaper registration fee, so i can even wait til last minute to decide. i want to see how this week and next weekend go and then pull the trigger.
Wherever you are, run gently out there.
Nov 16th: 6.56 miles, 1:03:08, 9:38 pace
Nov 15th: 8 miles, 1:20:46, 10:06 pace
What's Possible... 