Running on Faith

We did it!  We completed the 26.2 mile distance and we were smiling when we crossed the finish line.  It certainly wasn’t the experience I expected however I’m neither disappointed nor discouraged by the events of Saturday, December 5, 2009.  I was given an opportunity that I never expected and one I wouldn’t trade for anything.

I didn’t sleep much the night before, if at all.  My nerves were on edge, the room was small which made me feel very cramped, and Paul and I had to sleep together in a double bed.  I was more worried about the cold weather than I was the distance because I absolutely cannot stand to be cold.  We up met up with our large group downstairs in our hotel around 6:45 so we could see the 5K members of our team get started with their race.   It was a very chilly 25 degrees but not windy, thank goodness.  I opted to wear my leggings under my shorts at least for a while.  My ears were FROZEN and Tish was so nice to offer me an extra head wrap to cover my ears.  Thank you so much!  When Blake, Mason, Mr. Jimmy, Sarah and Lara left us to join the other 2900 folks running the 5K, Blake had stripped down to shorts and a t-shirt and I felt so bad for him.  Did I mention it was 25 degrees and the sun wasn’t out yet?  After the 5K race started, I had to leave Camren and Mrs. Arnell on Beale St and that was hard for me….the meant my run was getting closer and it would be AT LEAST 5 hours before I would see them again.

The rest of our team made our way over to the marathon/half marathon start.  We dropped Tim off at his corral and then Tish, Christine, Paco, Paul and I walked back to our corral and we tried to stay in the sun.  Louise showed up then and I finally got to meet Nancy!  I saw plenty of runners that looked just like me….silly because of the way we were dressed and scared because we didn’t know what to expect.  The emcee for the morning was very cheerful which helped to keep the mood light.  Then a little St Jude “angel” took the mic and sang the National Anthem.  I could not see  her and I don’t know her name but I had to fight back the tears and I thought to myself, if I have one ounce of the courage she had, I would be fine.  Then the race was starting and they were releasing us by corral numbers in 2 or 3 minute intervals.  I guess it took about 20 minutes to actually get to our group and at this point, Christine and I were still planning to run together.  I tried not to worry about Paul, he still insisted that he could do this.

It was time for us to take off, I gave Paul a quick kiss and we were off!  I actually felt very relaxed and prepared.  Christine, Nancy and Louise were pulling away from me but I was really OK with that.  I had a plan; I knew what I needed to do.  As we passed the “Happy Mexican” restaurant, I thought about Paco and I hoped he was OK.  About 25 minutes in (2 ½ miles) I took a scheduled 5 minute walk break.  Just a few minutes into my walk, I felt someone grab my rear end and to my surprise it was Paul.  He was running slow but steady.  We walked a few minutes together and I told him it was time for me run again.  He told me to take off and he would try to keep up.  I shot a quick text to Cam just to let him know we were OK and that we were together.  We kept this pace for a while, I could run faster then he could but he could walk faster than me.  It soon became clear that we could run this marathon together.  We didn’t talk much and we weren’t side by side but we could always see each other.  The miles were going by pretty quick.  I never saw Christine again and I said a little prayer for her.  I stopped around mile 8 for a quick bathroom break and “chafe check.”  This was a costly stop for me, the lines were long and I had to wait a while.  Paul kept going and the plan was for me to catch back up to him.  It took me a lot longer to catch him than I thought it would.  He would be easy to spot, he had a bright blue & yellow jacket on but after about 15 minutes of running, I was getting concerned that we’d put too much distance between us.  I finally spotted him in the crowd ahead running uphill, so I sped up a bit and closed the distance and caught up.  I was feeling good and I was keeping well hydrated.  Paul told me to take fluids at each mile so I did just that (I actually listened this time).  Christine told me to take 3 Shot Bloks every hour so I was doing that also.  I was fighting the hunger though; I didn’t get enough to eat before the race.  At the 10 mile mark, there was plenty of fluids but no cups to drink it from.  This was bad because I’d just eaten 3 Shot Bloks and I really need to wash those things down good or I start to gag.  I said another silent prayer that was just a fluke and the remaining 16 miles would have plenty of cups!

Paul and I were still together and quickly approaching the 13 mile mark.  I wondered what he would do….make the turn towards the stadium or stay by my side for the back 13.  We talked about it and he made the call, he would stay with me.  He shot a quick text to the boys to let them know.  I had mixed feelings and was worried about him doing further damage to the knee.

Right around the 13 mile mark, we saw Blake, Cam and Mr. Jimmy.  That was a great feeling!  Paul and I were side by side, smiling and the image was captured thanks to Camren.

 As we ran away from them, I fought back the tears because I knew it would be several hours before we would see them again.  It was at this point that the army of people we were running with suddenly disappeared.  Thank goodness Paul was there, I have trouble with loneliness when I’m running and it was great having him running within shouting distance.  I stopped again at mile 14 for a quick bathroom break and Paul continued on.  It took me 2 miles of running to catch him.  In those 2 miles, I only saw 2 other people…that was a very weird feeling.  I grabbed my phone and shot Christine a text.  She quickly called me back.  She wasn’t feeling well but she was moving forward and she was only a mile ahead of us.  I knew we wouldn’t catch up but it was good to hear her voice (she has been my friend and mentor throughout my training and I wanted only the best for her).   Starting around mile 16, it felt like we were on a steady climb.  Who knew Memphis was so hilly?!  Our strategy became clear, walk the steeper inclines, run the down hills and flats.

Right around the 20 mile mark, I realized that I never really warmed up.  It was still cold enough to keep my gloves on and have my vest zipped all the way up.  As I look back now, the weather was perfect, the sky was clear, there was no wind and it was impossible to get overheated.  And we finally reached a point where we staying on flat ground or going downhill.  That was a very good thing because his “good” knee was hurting and I was experiencing a different kind of pain in my left thigh muscle and my left foot was starting to curve  inwards (that was a new side effect of running!).  We didn’t stop though, we kept moving forward.  As we approached the final ½ mile of the race, we had to make a very sharp right turn UP a ramp.  That was cruel and to make matters worse, there was a big smoking car heading our way with a policewoman running after it.  In my mind I was thinking, “Damn, we came all this way to get run over!”  We managed to get past it and made a few more little turns that led us into an almost empty stadium.  It didn’t matter, the rest of  theRunning of Faith team was there yelling for us.  As we rounded the corner, we heard and saw Blake, Camren, Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Arnell cheering us on.  Mrs. Arnell called us “heroes” and Paul jumped up to them for a quick high five….we had less than a100 yards to!  Crossing the finish line was an amazing feeling.  It was amazing because we were so tired and it was so glad to be done.  It was also amazing because we were able to do it together, a gift we never expected.

If you’ve never tried something like this, imagine being on the road (on foot) for 5 hours and 42 minutes, having only water, Gatorade and some gross nutritional supplements (just for the calories).  Imagine that your body had gone through the water and Gatorade so quickly that you only had to use the bathroom twice and imagine that your legs and feet hurt so bad that if you were at home you’d take 3 Aleve and sit down for the rest of the day. Well, when you cross the finish line, you forget all of that.  Over the last 6 months of training and running alone, I never once thought that it would be possible for me to go the 26 mile distance in such good spirits and with Paul within shouting distance the entire time.  We never once planned to start and finish the marathon distance together and that’s what made the day so special.  I did a lot of praying for the team of Running on Faith, and especially for Paul, because I knew this would be a challenge and I knew he wouldn’t give up.  God answered my prayers and he knew what to do.  How else can we explain that out of at least 10,000 people that started the marathon and ½ marathons that day, we found each other so early in the race and stayed together to the end?

Before I tell you about my week-end, let me start off again with thanking the people that contributed to our cause, St Jude. WE as a team collected over $12,000 to be donated to the St Jude Children Hospital. It is really encouraging to see that these 17 people of Team Running on Faith can raise that kind of money in this kind of economy. I know it is only a drop in the bucket in the big picture but if can continue to put those drops in that bucket maybe one day this hospital will not be needed. I also want to tell who ever is reading this; it is never too late to contribute to St Jude. The race for us may be over but the race to cure cancer is still being run. 

FRIDAY

The long weekend started great, time off from work! Outstanding! We left the house for Memphis right on time, 9:00am. Marci driving, me reading a book, Cam watching a movie and Blake playing on his computer. First stop, a store at mile 3, I always have a Coke Zero and a Reese’s first thing in the morning and the Reese’s I had been watching in the pantry disappeared (thanks Marci). Back on the road in no time but now Marci is fussing at me for not offering to buy her something to eat. Sorry again but next time just ask damn-it. Anyway we’re back on the road and everything is going well, slight chit chat and me mostly reading until our teammate Hardcore (Christine) gets bored and starts texting me. They are about an hour ahead of us and she refuses to let me read. Just to give you an example, at one point we make a pit stop and as I am standing at the urinal my phone went off three times with incoming text. I had trouble replying because they were coming in so fast. Needless to say I did not get the book finished on the trip up. We make a short stop at Wendy’s for dinner then back on the road to arrive in Memphis right around 3:00. Made packet pickup and checked into the Hampton Inn by 4:00. We decided to meet some of our teammates for supper at a restaurant right outside our hotel call Rum Boogies. The 5 kids sat at one table and the adults at the other. It was a very enjoyable pre-race diner. We decided to make it an early night, 26.2 miles or 13.1 to go for most of us, WE HOPED!  

SATURDAY

I had very little trouble sleeping and was up by 5:15. My parents were supposed to be at our room by 6:15. My dad was running the 5-K along with Mason, Lara, Sara, and Blake. My mom and Camren were there for moral support. We met the rest of our team at the start which was right outside our hotel at 6:45. 25 DEGREES!!!! We snapped a few pictures and soon after that the 3.1 milers were off. The marathon and half marathoner all started moving the starting line area. Now let try to give a visual of what the starting line looks like. 10,000 people standing around freezing their asses off! About 7:30 the racers start moving to there correct corals for the start. This allows for the faster people to line up front and the slower people to the back with each coral starting 2 minutes apart. With my original goal of running the marathon in under 4 hours now long gone and still not knowing if I am running, walking, going 26.2 or going 13.1 I line up in the same coral (4 hours 45 minute) as Marci, Christine, Louise, and Nancy. As we are standing there a patient at St Jude sings the National Anthem. I don’t think I have ever heard it done better. Talk about courage! The horn goes off and the front runners are off. It takes 20 minutes for our group to reach the start but when it does it is such a relief to get this thing started. I told Marci I was going to try and run for a little bit and see how the knee feels. It wasn’t pretty but I was running. At this point I was still uncertain what distant I was going but so far so good. Marci and the other ladies from our team slowly pulled away but I continue on with every step seeming to get a little easier. At about the 2 mile mark I run upon Marci walking but her plan all along was to run for about 20 minutes and walk for 5 minutes. Sounded like a hell of a plan to me, so for the next 10 miles that is exactly what I did. “Run/Walk-Run/Walk-Run/Walk” Once we got to mile 12 it became decision time for me! Quit at the half or go for the full? And I must tell you that if I had not had the support of Marci out there on the course, my family waiting at the stadium and the people that contributed to St Jude it would have been real easy just to drag up at the half, but I continued on with Marci by my side. With 13.1 left to go, it got lonely, I am not talking bad about Marci but most of the people that we were running with were half-marathoner. It was probably a 12 to 1 ratio of people stopping at the half. Talk about thinned out, the crowds were gone. We continued on though with our “Run/Walk-Run/Walk-Run/Walk” method which was working pretty well for us. At about the 15 mile mark Marci need to make a pit stop so I continued on alone. I know this sounds bad but I knew she would catch me because she was running considerable faster than me. I was out walking her during the walking parts and she was out running me during the running parts. While out on the street alone I came up on a group of high school cheerleader and I told them I felt like they were cheering just for me. Then I realized no one else was in sight, they were cheering just for me. It was really sad and cool at the same time. Sad because I was all by myself and cool because I had my own cheerleaders.  Anyway Marci soon caught me and we continued on. The mile markers seemed to get farther apart the closer we got to the finish. With the stadium now in sight we make a u-turn up onto an on ramp only to be greeted by an oncoming car with steam bellowing out from under the hood with a lady cop running behind screaming STOP. I just knew she was fixing to start shooting. It turned out to be nothing but a quick headline popped into my head “Husband and Wife are run over and shot near finish line of first Marathon”. Finish line, here we come. I could feel Marci picking up her pace as we run into the stadium and that is when I realize she has been holding back on me or should I say holding back FOR ME. It was cool having the kids, my parents and teammates cheering us on as we finished side by side with identical times of 5:42:07. Looking back, I believe Marci running by herself would have finished with a better time and me running by myself would have had a slower time. She basically drug me the last 13.1. Thank you Marci for being there. That evening most of our team met up at Charlie Rendezvous BBQ to trade the stories and enjoy a good meal. 

 

Sunday

We were up by 7:00 am to get an early start on the day. We all got dressed and went down for breakfast at our hotel. It was a heck of a sight to see, so many people slowly walking/hobbling around stiff legged. You could definitely tell who ran the day before. We were on the road by 9:00 and home by 2:00. I finally finished my book and yes Christine they did find The Lost Symbol but I am not telling where. Read the book.

 Again, I want to thank everyone for there support over the last 6 month and a special thank you to my loving wife Marci who stood and ran by my side even though I may have been just a little grumpy over the last 8 weeks. Sorry, I‘ll do better next year

 

46 weeks to go to 2010 Ironman Florida but who’s counting?

Saturday morning, we’re up at 3:45 (A.M.!!!) and getting ready for the drive to New Orleans.  Blake and I would be running the New Orleans Jazz Half Marathon along with Tim, Christine, Louise and Mike.  During the drive to New Orleans, it was cold, windy and raining.  GREAT.  It seems like the Esch family is forever making a road trip to participate in some sporting event in bad weather.  Any time we’re signed up for something, we always follow through; no matter what how adverse the weather conditions are and today would be no different.

Around 5:00, I got a text from Christine letting us know they’re on the road (see, we’re not the only crazy people).  We arrived in New Orleans; found the Hutchinson vehicle and waited for them to come back with our race packets (it was cold and windy).  I wasn’t really nervous, I was just aggravated.  I HATE cold weather and wind.  Tim, on the other hand, seemed to be full of nervous energy!  At this point, my only real concern was that I would not find a port-o-can before the race started.  We only had 20 minutes to use the restroom, find the rest of our team and get lined up with what SEEMED like 5000 other people.  I’ll never get used to the people in New Orleans.  I do realize that it was Halloween morning but some of those costumes were just crazy.  I encountered a dude that at first glance, appeared to be completely naked except for a fig leaf covering his most private part.  I quickly turned, turned 5 shades of red and started choking.  I guess I gave him exactly the reaction he was looking for.  I don’t get the costume while running deal.  I’m very picky, almost superstitious about the clothes I run in, especially anything over 5 miles.  Running 13 miles in a nude color body stocking or full body Batman costume complete with face mask and cape brings to mind one thing….serious chafe!

We quickly found our positions in the crowded road and waited for the start signal.  Christine, Louise and I hung in the back of the crowd; there was no need to get trampled up front.  I knew Christine and Louise had planned to run together and that I wouldn’t be able to keep up so I just enjoyed the moment while we were talking and WALKING towards the start line.  I think it literally took us 2 minutes to reach the starting line after the signal sounded.  We had to weave in and out of the walkers as we started to run but we still managed to stay together.  I think 5K, 10K, ½ marathon and full marathon walkers are great and I admire their spirit and the fact they are out there BUT there should be a law about where and when they start.  It is unfair to make those of us that are running spend 2 miles moving around the walkers and the over zealous sprinters that have to stop and walk because they have no idea what they’re doing.  I’m sorry; I just had to get that off my chest.

So, Louise takes off like a jack rabbit and a mile into the race, I had no idea where she was.  As it turns out, Christine and I were running pretty much the same pace without any effort.  We passed Paul on the way out and tossed him our extra shirts and gloves (it warmed up very fast).  The miles started to fly by and before I knew it we were at mile 6 at 1:03.  I started to panic a little but I didn’t let Christine see it.  My pace was faster than normal; I was running with someone and TALKING (something I never do).  I was wondering how long I could keep that up.  At the entrance of City Park, we were still together and Paul sent Christine a text “tell my old lady hello.”  We were talking and laughing about that and I lost my footing on the curb.  I tripped and stumbled forward for what seemed like several feet and pretty much landed on Christine’s back but I stayed on my feet.  At mile 7, Christine shared her marguerita with me (Marguerita Shot Blok that is).  I was skeptical because I know better than to try something new during a race but I wasn’t drinking enough (the water and PowerAde they handed out was nasty).  That Shot Blok was pretty good and it the spot, thank you Christine!   We continued on our way, still together and still talking.  When we reached mile 11, I glanced at my watch and felt that panic rise again, it said 1:57.  We were on pace to beat my best ½ marathon time of 2:27.  This is where my mind started to play tricks on me but Christine got me through it by talking non stop.  It worked!  I crossed the finish line at 2:19 (Christine was able to sprint to the line, I wasn’t).  It was a great run except for the ankle pain, which was new for me and the cobblestone road.  I hope Memphis doesn’t have any cobblestone roads!

My proudest moment didn’t come from achieving a personal best time or running the entire way with my friend, although those are great things.  The best moment of the day was when I realized that Blake, my 14 year old son, placed 2^nd in the 19 and under category.  It was his first ½ marathon but I’m sure it won’t be his last!

As a group, we enjoyed the adult beverages, the smoothies and the band.  The company was pretty good too!  Tim, Blake, Mike, Louise and Christine, you guys are great and Team Running on Faith was well represented in the Big Easy!  This is Flash and I’m running on faith that the next month will fly by!

I spent several days out of town on a business related last week so my training was limited.  I did squeeze in a 3 mile run Friday morning and it was a good one.  It wasn’t fast but it was very pleasant (probably because I was running in a brand new pair of running shoes).  While I was running I was contemplating the CajunmanTriathlon and wondering how I would pull off those distances.  I wasn’t prepared and I was worried.

Sunday my day started at 3:50 a.m.  It was raining and I felt a sense of doom.  Was I really going to drive to Lafayette and participate in the Cajunman Triathlon?  I knew I would have to ride a bike for 20 miles in bad weather, (they don’t cancel triathlons because of rain).  It rained the entire way to Lafayette and my sense of doom was almost overwhelming by the time we parked and unloaded the bikes. 
As we packed our gear down to transition, we noticed something crawling and biting us, even as we were moving.  What in the world?!  Mosquitoes, that’s what!  We took care of the body marking and it was quite a challenge to stand still while being eaten by mosquitoes. Thankfully Paul and I had consecutive race numbers. By this time, I’d already had a nice little anxiety attack, complete with all over shaking and tears so to have Paul racking his bike next to mine was a blessing.  I know he was probably a little worried about me but he didn’t let it show.  We quickly set up our transition spots because they were planning to start the race early.  The swarms of mosquitoes were taking my mind off the fear of riding the rain.  I was thinking that I may not crash my bike but I could catch West Nile Virus!  We headed off to the port o’cans which provided another challenge.  Try to take care of business in that thing and avoid getting eaten by fire ants at the same time!  I did OK but Blake wasn’t so lucky.

Time to head down to water….and it was quite an interesting body of water.  There were a half dozen miniature submarines docked along the water.  Great, that means the water must be REALLY deep.  No fear here…  Paul’s group started 12 minutes before mine so he had to leave me and head down to the water.  I tried to look brave as he kissed me and walked off.  He left me in good hands; Blake and Cam were there to keep me company.  I made my way to the water and walked down the steps.  The temperature was surprisingly comfortable and I immediately starting putting my face to get used it. We had to wait in the water for a while and I was having serious trouble touching the bottom and getting concerned that I’d be worn out from treading water.  A nice lady moved over on the mud bar (it certainly could not be characterized as a sand bar) so I could plant my feet for a few minutes.  All this time, I’m trying to find the first buoy that I needed to swim to…and I could barely see it.  I wasn’t scared however I knew I wasn’t prepared for this swim so I figured I would be in the water for at least 30 minutes.  The actual swim was uneventful and pleasant enough.  I was able to swim freestyle except for when I was looking for the buoys, the shoreline or avoiding getting kicked in the face.  I could hear Christine saying, “This stroke’s for me, this stroke’s for God.”  Thanks Christine, that really does work!  I swam those 800 meters, made it back to the dock in good shape and the nice gentlemen yanked me clean out of the water which eliminated the need for trying to find the steps.  Blake and Cam were there waiting on me and they ran with me until I made the turn towards the transition area.  (I would like to know who had the sick idea of running uphill on concrete with sharp points in it AFTER swimming a ½ mile.)  As we’re running to transition, I told the boys to get to car because by this time, it’s really dark, it’s raining and the lightening is pretty bad.  I ran through the mud to my bike and attempted to put on shoes and socks while standing up and dodging rain drops and lightening bolts.  I kept asking myself if I was really prepared to do this and if they really planned to send us out there on our bikes.  They did not cancel the race…  My face was really wet by the time I hit the 1 mile mark and to be honest, I’m still not sure if it was tears or rain drops.  I’ve ridden 20 miles a lot of times but never in these conditions and never without Paul.  I settled into a good, safe pace and was finally catching my breath from the swim when I came across a dead skunk in the road somewhere between mile 3 & 4.  That really woke me up, kinda like smelling salts when you faint.  By mile 6, it was really raining hard, the wind was getting stronger and I started praying.  I could hear Paul’s voice in my head telling me I could do this and I would be OK.  Have you ever seen the movie “Days of Thunder”?  That voice in my head was saying something like, “you have special tires that are a perfect match and if you go to the outside, you can hold it.”  I was really hugging the side of the road so if I did crash, at least I would fall in the ditch.  I had to have faith in my bike and my ability to ride so I moved away from the side of the road, shifted to a bigger gear and got down to business.  Before I knew it, I was at the 10 mile mark and making the turn to head back.  It was a rather uneventful ride at that point.  I was getting used to the wet roads and the rain beating me in the face.  There was one terrible hill to climb and as I approached it, I said a few choice words out loud.  Paul’s voice popped back into my head and he was saying “shift woman, shift!”  So, I shifted to a smaller gear like he taught me and made it up the hill in one piece and still on the bike.  Someone had the good humor to spray point the word OUCH on the asphalt at the top of the hill and they couldn’t be more right because that’s when I hit my lowest speed of 10 mph.  After that, the rest of the ride was great, I was hitting up to 20 mph and I knew I gonna be able to do it.  Thank you Paul for always asking those dreaded words on Saturday night….”so, do you wanna ride tomorrow?”  If it weren’t for those Sunday morning rides, I would never have made it.  Here’s your “I told you so” moment!  I made my way back to transition and feeling a little disoriented because I’d been pedaling on that bike for an hour and 20 minutes.  I heard Paul calling my name.  He congratulated me for completing the bike portion but he was concerned about Blake and Cam, he couldn’t find them.  I sent him to the car; they were probably still taking cover from the weather.  We said our quick goodbyes and I headed off to complete the 5K run.

 

It took a ¼ mile to get my legs working right; after riding the bike for 20 miles, my legs were fried.  Once I settled down, I felt pretty good and it’s probably because I stayed hydrated on the bike (here’s another “I told you so” moment for Paul).  The run was rather uneventful except for the surprisingly big hill we had to run down and then back up; who knew an airport could be so hilly!  I finished the run leg with a very good time and I’m still scratching my head trying to figure out how I managed to do that.

I was so happy to be done and I crossed the finish line with a smile on my face.  Two minutes later, Paul placed a beer in my hand; I guzzled that beer like it was water and two minutes after that I burped louder than I’ve ever done in my life (I’m still scratching my head  trying to figure out how I managed to do that too…).

My stats are a matter of public record since Atomic Racing posted them for the whole world to see so I don’t mind telling you….I swam the ½  mile in under 20 mins, I rode the 20 miles in under 1 hr 20 mins and I ran the 5K in under 32 mins.  I did it!!!!

This is Flash and I’m running on faith that no one fell asleep while reading my race report!

This Saturday started out like every Saturday in the summer months; up at the crack of dawn and on the road.  Only this Saturday, I was up at 3:45 a.m. and by 4:45 a.m. we were on the road headed to Lafayette for a triathlon for Blake and Paul.  It was a good morning and relatively uneventful (sometimes this is a good thing).  They did well in the event and both brought home some “hardware” for their performances.  It was also a good morning for BR Tri and even though only a handful of us were there, the club was represented well.  

The entire day, I had a nagging thought in my mind…I would have to run the dreaded Twilight 5K in Baton Rouge.  I knew I would have a nice time SOCIALLY because I would be meeting, face to face for the first time, the rest of the our Running on Faith teammates.  On the flip side, I’ve always disliked the Twilight 5K and I’ve never had success with this race.  I’ve run it 3 times in the past, twice I had to stop and do the dreaded walk and the one time I didn’t stop to walk, it still took me some where around 42 minutes to complete.  Aside from the Hump Day 2 milers, this is the hottest race of the year.  I’m not quite sure why they call it the “Twilight” 5K because it’s run entirely in the daylight and even at 7:00 p.m., it’s still blazing hot.

I really felt like I would have a better run this year.  I’ve been logging a fair amount of miles and I’ve done most of them during the hottest times of the day.  Add that to the fact that my new buddies would be there and I really wanted to impress them (ha ha).  In the past, before this race started, I’d feel close to crying.  I didn’t have that problem this time because standing there with Christine, Marcelo, Louise, Tish, Mason and Lara really eased my anxiety and I was actually ready to start the race (I let everyone know that I don’t mind being passed and they should feel free to leave me behind)!  Paul and Tim were up front with the faster folks.

As the horn sounded, we all took off and made our own ways through the crowds.  I could see Christine and Louise pulling away from me rather quickly.  I had two choices, try to keep up with them or run the “Marci” pace.  I chose the latter because it just felt safer.  Halfway through, I lost sight of Christine but I did see Louise and I felt like I could catch her.  Wrong.  She would have little bursts of energy where she would run really fast and then ease off.   As I would close in on her, she would take off again! About ¼ mile away, I picked up my pace on the downhill run and turned the corner for the final stretch. When I saw the clock still had 31:30 on it I did something I’m not proud of; I sprinted by a co-worker on the last stretch and cut into her personal space a little bit.  She boxed me in on the left side, she had runners on the right side and Louise was just right there in front of her.  I didn’t pass Louise and I didn’t make it across the finish line in under 32:00 BUT 32:01 is good enough for me.  I will certainly make my apologies at work this week.

That wasn’t the best part of the evening though.  Hanging out by beer truck, drinking beer, eating jambalaya and getting to know my teammates was very enjoyable.  And maybe the best part is that Blake, Camren and Mason get along well so we didn’t have to entertain them. 

It was nice meeting Dara and I hope she signs up soon and joins our team.  I have a feeling she and I will get along very well.  By the way, did someone say we had another team mate by the name of Nancy???????

Just a quick update on our fundraising efforts; it is going well. Paul and I received a very nice anonymous donation this week that really touched our hearts especially when we realized they didn’t want recognition for it.

This is Flash and I am running on faith that all of the races and organized runs that are in my future as pleasant as the one I just did!

 

Okay, so no one is going to post there race report.  I have already covered the race on my Timbeaux site, but I figured I would get the ball rolling over here.

Except for about 21 minutes and 57 seconds last night, I had a blast!  It was great getting everyone together especially around the beer truck afterwards.  It was a shame that Louise couldn’t stay and visit for a while.  Of course, she brought Dara with her, so there wouldn’t have been any beer left for us.  Great to see Dara!  Great that she left us the beer!

Anyway, we will be checking race schedules for the next gathering.  Until then, great job everyone!

Okay, I finally  have found the time to write about how my running and training sessions have been going since I decided to sign up for the St. Jude Children’s Hospital Marathon again this year.

I continued to train after I ran the Half-marathon for St. Jude Children’s Hospital last year because it was such an AWESOME experience and I knew that I was definitely going to participate again this year. I just wasn’t sure which event I was going to run. I have decided to run the FULL Marathon. I have had the wonderful opportunity to continue my training with Robin Schreiber, my son Connor’s  Running coach (and mine). Her love for running and for encouraging people to believe in themselves and strive for their best, is priceless!

Although the longest distance I have run (in a day) since last December has only been ten miles (in late March), I have been able to log in at least twelve miles a week. However, the heat has been terrible and I have had to walk or cut back on my mileage and pace drastically! Some days just to finish a workout can only be done with one long prayer just to get back to my house without passing out whether it be running, walking, or crawling! Thank God for my team mates, friends, family, and their words of encouragement and prayers!

I have run in several 5K’s and  local Fun Runs with Connor, his summer track team (Team Us (not Them)), and  Coach Robin from February through spring and now summer. The latest one was yesterday, The Freedom Run (one mile), in Downtown Baton Rouge. It was HOT, of course, but it was an easy run (with the benefit of some downward slopes!). I actually ran a PR of 8 minutes and 8 seconds taking first in my division which was the first time I have ever actually placed in a race. It was very uplifting and motivating as well as surprising. I  would have never thought I would have finished with that time because my weekly runs have been so depressing (run walk run walk – longest being barely 6.5 at an average pace of 10:50+ most of the time!).

I want to make sure that my teammates know that they need to stay positive and not worry about their pace,ability to finish, love/hate relationship with running, etc because as long as we are moving and we keep “Running on Faith”, we will be fine!  My goal for my FIRST Marathon is to raise money for St. Jude Hospital, rejoice and appreciate my health and ability to participate in such a wonderful race, and have fun!

Keeping the Faith,

Weesie

Last year this little team of 5 misfits raised over $7000.00 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.  What will our hopefully much larger team do this year?  $10,000.00?  $15,000.00?  More?  Only time will tell.