Thanks to all of you who participated, volunteered, and cheered on the inaugural Running of the Bulls 8K! We look forward to seeing you again next year!
Results will be posted on our website shortly!
5.30.2009
5.12.2009
When Pigs Fly
All of the cute quips and word play you could possibly imagine have been exhausted in Cincinnati, and by the end of the weekend, I was exhausted too. I got jiggy with the piggy, got my oink on, was infected with swine flew, and after 4 grueling hours and some change, I crossed the finish swine and went wee wee wee all the way home.
(Or rather, I was transported to my gate at the airport -- yes, by the cart that typically carries senior citizens and beeps you out of the way before it almost runs over you -- because I could barely put one foot in front of the other.)
Highlights, observations, and reflections from my first marathon experience, in no particular order:
1. Training actually works and I should have done more of it. With more hills.
2. It was hard. Very hard. One of the hardest things I've ever done. I would compare it to labor on some level in terms of physical and mental toughness. (Although, I was arguably tougher in the marathon than I was in labor :))
3. I do actually care what other people think. I knew that Jason & my Mom were tracking my progress online, so part of the reason I kept going was so that they would know I was still moving and keeping more-or-less even splits.
4. The unexpected strength I found in the evangelical t-shirts. I suppose I would qualify as an Easter and Christmas Christian by some definitions, but I am now a Marathon Christian as well.
5. The posters on the course about some guy from North Dakota who was running 3 marathons in 3 weeks. (Foolish, but good luck!)
6. My training partner, Sarah. What a champ. I never would have done those pre-dawn long runs without her (as evidenced by the one long run that never happened when she was sick), and I love the fact that she was game for the Rock Bottom Brewery as our pre- and post-race meal.
7. My lucky charms -- they worked! Jason made me this (very sweet) Go Mom! pin that I wore on my shoe, and I peeked down at it frequently for motivation and strength from my two favorite people whenever I felt like walking.
The purple "Pacer of the Week" bracelet was an award from the Pacers running group in Chapel Hill that they gave me the week before the race. I talked to them about how running has given me the strength and confidence to do things I never would have done, and this bracelet was a nice reminder to eat my words.
8. The fans in Cincinnati. Thanks for coming out on your front lawn early in the morning with cow bells and licorice and orange slices -- and a clothesline rigged up with flying stuffed pigs. Seriously nice race support! But please work on your sense of distance and calculations. When I have 1.9 miles to go, it is not "JUST AROUND THE CORNER! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"
9. RunPaul was right. I should have paid much more attention to my appearance and surroundings during all of the photo opps on the course -- and especially at the finish swine. All of the photos taken on the course make me appear slightly swollen and generally hypoxic. Furthermore, I do not have a single photo where there isn't a half-naked, hairy, less-than-trim, middle-aged man in the frame. So much for my Kodak moment of glory.
Will I do it again?
No, but in all honesty, probably. As soon as I sufficiently forget the sordid details of this experience.
(Or rather, I was transported to my gate at the airport -- yes, by the cart that typically carries senior citizens and beeps you out of the way before it almost runs over you -- because I could barely put one foot in front of the other.)
Highlights, observations, and reflections from my first marathon experience, in no particular order:
1. Training actually works and I should have done more of it. With more hills.
2. It was hard. Very hard. One of the hardest things I've ever done. I would compare it to labor on some level in terms of physical and mental toughness. (Although, I was arguably tougher in the marathon than I was in labor :))
3. I do actually care what other people think. I knew that Jason & my Mom were tracking my progress online, so part of the reason I kept going was so that they would know I was still moving and keeping more-or-less even splits.
4. The unexpected strength I found in the evangelical t-shirts. I suppose I would qualify as an Easter and Christmas Christian by some definitions, but I am now a Marathon Christian as well.
5. The posters on the course about some guy from North Dakota who was running 3 marathons in 3 weeks. (Foolish, but good luck!)
6. My training partner, Sarah. What a champ. I never would have done those pre-dawn long runs without her (as evidenced by the one long run that never happened when she was sick), and I love the fact that she was game for the Rock Bottom Brewery as our pre- and post-race meal.
7. My lucky charms -- they worked! Jason made me this (very sweet) Go Mom! pin that I wore on my shoe, and I peeked down at it frequently for motivation and strength from my two favorite people whenever I felt like walking.
The purple "Pacer of the Week" bracelet was an award from the Pacers running group in Chapel Hill that they gave me the week before the race. I talked to them about how running has given me the strength and confidence to do things I never would have done, and this bracelet was a nice reminder to eat my words.
8. The fans in Cincinnati. Thanks for coming out on your front lawn early in the morning with cow bells and licorice and orange slices -- and a clothesline rigged up with flying stuffed pigs. Seriously nice race support! But please work on your sense of distance and calculations. When I have 1.9 miles to go, it is not "JUST AROUND THE CORNER! YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"
9. RunPaul was right. I should have paid much more attention to my appearance and surroundings during all of the photo opps on the course -- and especially at the finish swine. All of the photos taken on the course make me appear slightly swollen and generally hypoxic. Furthermore, I do not have a single photo where there isn't a half-naked, hairy, less-than-trim, middle-aged man in the frame. So much for my Kodak moment of glory.
Will I do it again?
No, but in all honesty, probably. As soon as I sufficiently forget the sordid details of this experience.
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