18
Oct
2009
Weekend Adventure
What an Adventure!!!
This little adventure started with some bad planning, my teammate (and running idol) and I hadn’t reserved a place to stay…THANKFULLY my face book plea was answered and I crashed with an old friend and fellow awesome runner. It got interesting with the drive down, (I am an admittedly a horrible navigator) we missed our exit but we made it, found a spot to park and then off to expo. With a lil near crash experience on the way. We were just chatting and before you know it were walking in front of a car….oops! J We made it alive in to the Cobo where we go to get our packets….only we weren’t registered…too funny! I suggested we take the out and go for some beers but of course super Ken got it covered and we then headed back to car. That’s where it got more fun! We were trying to leave and a lot attendant, whom wasn’t there when we arrived, came over to collect his “owed” $5.00…only Timiann (my running hero) said she wasn’t paying. He wasn’t there when we arrived, there was a Wings game happening which is why he came to the lot anyhow. She tried pulling out and the guy put his hand in window and hit her….OHMYGOODNESS!!!! I couldn’t believe it, he tried acting like we ran over his foot and hit the car hard on our way out….WOW that was wild to say the least. After a late dinner we crashed only to be woken up many times in the night by drunken crazy people and the police trying to get them inline.
Then it was race morning…I was a nerved up mess…I hadn’t really ran a half marathon race, I have been traveling a lot in the last 2 months and had 3 weekends out of state which resulted in the lack of necessary long miles and I believe the nerves got the better of me because before I knew what was happening I was puking, THREE TIMES on the Canada side of the race…and running threw that tunnel with the crazy smells and heat I was sure number four was coming…I made it out with out incidence and was able to pick up my pace but it was too late…my race was not salvageable. I ran a much slower then hoped for race. I had thought a 7:10-7:15 pace was reasonable. I ran a 7:26…egh!
As I was pondering with extreme pissiness the events of the weekend, I couldn’t help but change my attitude when I learned that 3 men died at that race today. Men, one whom I know was younger then I, died and I was complaining? I am a blessed girl considering. I have my health, I was able to enjoy the company of some amazing runners who I very much look up to and I have my life still. I will take today, chock it up to a good solid tempo run and move on thankful…interesting story to tell, great workout all before 9:00am and I have my life. Perspective…that’s what it comes down to….putting it in perspective.