the race is afoot

the indy half marathon went pretty well: 1:31:39 (6:59.8/mile). i was hoping to break 1:30 but realistically, didn't think i was going to even come close. having not trained to run that kind of distance (my longest up until then had been 6 miles), i figured i would meltdown about mile 8. fortunately, there was plenty of...umm...scenery to keep me motivated...especially at the end. i usually have a pretty strong kick and for the last two tenths of a mile, i emeril'd it and kicked it up a notch. Bam! Some girl on the sidelines shouted motivation to me, "you're moving fast! keep it up!" and as i pass her, i hear her say to her friend "holy shit...he really *is* going fast". well hell, if there's anything that can make me haul ass, it would be that comment right there. the final 1/10th of a mile was a dead out sprint. i damn near puked all over an EMT at the finish line.

on that topic, being a volunteer at the finish line of a marathon or half marathon has got to suck. it's pretty apparent when someone is about to go down and usually a volunteer grabs them before they hit the pavement. yes, that's what i want to spend my morning doing...putting someone's really sweaty arm around my shoulders and carrying them around hoping they don't give my shoes a new color. yuck. Race volunteers, you have my undying appreciation and respect.