I went to Atlanta last weekend to visit Morgan (and Jen and Brian). It was my first time to hang with the little chica without mama (my mom) and papa (my dad) to trump my thunder...we had a great time. Morgan took to calling me Mimi last February when she was here for what will be known as the "Rotavirus Vacation." No one really pushed it but on Thursday morning when I saw her (got in REALLY late Wednesday night) she said "Mimi!" when she saw me so I am now and probably will forever be known as Aunti Mimi.Thursday I spent babysitting her and we went to swim lessons...this is probably the last time I'll be able to keep up with her in the water as Auntie Mimi is a horrible swimmer.
Friday Jen and I took Morgan and Jackson (Morgan's cousin) to the Atlanta Zoo to see the baby panda. I was so excited! I'm still geeked out by pandas since my youth and used to volunteer as a "Giant Panda Interpreter" at the National Zoo...and moved away right before they had a baby. We got there just in time to see mama panda and mei lan (baby panda) playing a bit before the baby went for a snooze. I do think they missed the boat though, because the mei lan means "Atlanta beauty" and she very obviously should be named "Little peach." Friday night/Saturday morning was easter with the Lemmings involving coloring eggs and elmo shaped easter eggs...
Brian and I headed to the ING Georgia Marathon/Half Marahon expo on Saturday afternoon...there was a line out the door but Brian quickly figured out (while attempting to switch from the full to the half thanks to knee injuries) that we could cheat the system...much props to the race for having awesome goodies including a technical shirt as the t-shirt.Sunday morning meant a 4:30 am wake up call to hit the MARTA. One stop away from the race station our train broke down...they tried a re-boot (turning off and turning on again) but alas, that didn't work. So we readied ourselves to walk the extra few blocks...a good warm up i guess. WRONG. We had to climb the non-functioning MARTA escalators about 17 stories to reach street level...not a good warm-up for running 13.1 miles, let alone those running 26.2!
It should be noted that I seriously trained for about 3.5 weeks for this race. Acceptable training for a 5k, even a 10k, but not necessarily a half. The weather in Colorado sucked for most of January and February (residual snow from the 2 December blizzards) and the gyms were also crowded. I did feel like I could reasonably fake a 10-miler...I slowed my pace down to compensate for training deficiencies (I normally run a rabbit-like 10-minute mile, instead I ran a 12-minute mile). 15,000 people started the race at the same time so Brian and I crossed the start about 13 minutes after the official start...he quickly left me in the dust but I managed to settle in and get a good "runners high" going. The crowds along the course left a bit to be desired but there were a few very awesome groups of people to help cheer you on...i was right on scheduled until about Mile 10 when my legs were screaming at me like "You didn't train me for this, biatch." The course was relatively hilly...which was also a challenge. Jen, Morgan (along with Peggy, Christy, Brandon, Jackson and Paul--Brian's family--) were at about mile 10.1. It was nice take a break and wipe myself down with a diaper wipe and they offered a cool bottle of water...I gave morgan a sweaty and stinky hug and rounded the corner away from them. That's when I figured I didn't need to completely push myself to the breaking point and ran/walked the final 5k.
I crossed the finish line at about 2:50 and got my very first medal for finishing a race...which is totally awesome. I also got a heat sheet, which even though I didn't need it, was something I always wanted. I ran into Brian at the end of the food table (he finished an awesome 2 hours), ate three mini muffins, and hearded back to the Marta for the ride home. Blue Bell ice cream and 5 guys burgers and fries were how I rewarded myself for a job well done.
I crossed the finish line at about 2:50 and got my very first medal for finishing a race...which is totally awesome. I also got a heat sheet, which even though I didn't need it, was something I always wanted. I ran into Brian at the end of the food table (he finished an awesome 2 hours), ate three mini muffins, and hearded back to the Marta for the ride home. Blue Bell ice cream and 5 guys burgers and fries were how I rewarded myself for a job well done.I feel like I finally have my motivation back physically and, most importantly, mentally to run again. I'm hoping to do a marathon in the Fall...best case would be Chicago (with Brian...he's going to raise money for the American Brain Tumor Foundation, I'd probably run with Team Tiara which supports the group I'm volunteering for--Girls on the Run). I do, however, have to wait to know when Drive for Life is (for work) before I can commit...if that fails, I'll probably run the Denver Marathon in October.
Mimi...Out.
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