I am just home from the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati and once again I have to say "one of my favourite times ever!".I know I have said that before but now I know what the runners high is all about. First of all I have to thank Lindsay, Alicia and Megan for making the weekend so much fun.
Secondly, I have to thank Mark and Steve my mentors for their coaching (they were there too with their wives so it was awesome) and lastly I have to share that I was able to PASS runners - something I have never done before. There truly is a wave when you are running with 9,000 other runners that helps carry you along. It was as if I was in a river and going with the flow - too cool.
So the results...you have to understand that the whole mid west was having the worst rain storms of all time and when we woke up Sunday morning it was POURING beyond belief!!!! Alicia bought us ponchos and they were perfect.
Also, please remember I have been so sick that took me to the walk-in clinic the week before the race. And, I have not slept - too busy at work and little stressed so....I got a PB!!! I was on fire!!! I chugged a Red Bull before the race as I was feeling awful and so tired and it literally gave me wings!! I wanted to run 2:57 to beat my Run for Retina time by 1 minute but when we saw the weather, the hilly course
and took into account how I was feeling, I didn't even wear my pace bands so I just went for it!! I rode the wave of fun for most of the race and found this great guy named Bob from Minnesota (55 year old retired guy) and we chatted the whole second half of the race. I didn't even do my 10:1s - I was feeling so great and hills just kept me going. When we passed the 11 mile marker, I looked at my watch and saw 2:30. I thought holly smokes, we can do 2 miles in less than 27 minutes. We set a goal to really push it and I came around the last corner and heard and saw Megan and Alicia screaming go Catherine go. Tons of people were lining the final leg and when I last looked at my watch with the finish line in sight it said 2:52, I thought again I totally can beat my time. Bob and I kept chatting and laughing the whole way up the street and when we crossed the finish "swine" too cute or what, my watch said 2:57, I could not believe it!!! - unbelievable!!!
The weird thing that happened was that we saw this guy wearing this hat and I said to the girls - wow, I just posted to my blog
before we left this quote - weird or what!!!
