Well, to his dismay, it is likely just going to be "Aaron's Half Marathon Training". I'm not excited; I'm bummed. I am going to tell the story of last year's half debacle -- but only because I'd already typed most of it out:
I have always enjoyed running. Aaron has not. When he announced that he wanted to do a half marathon last year, I don't think he completely thought through it, because the minute the words left his mouth, it immediately became a to-do on my mental list of things I would make sure that we accomplished. We thought it would be fun to make a vacation out of it, so we registered for a race in St. Louis last September. We trained hard, and were ready for the run. I saw that there was rain in the forecast for race day, but didn't think much of it -- after all, I love to run in the rain. At least, that's what I used to think. Now I would rephrase that: "I love to run in LIGHT rain."
Hurricane Ike had devastated Texas the week prior, and decided that he hadn't wreaked enough havoc, so he visited St. Louis. He arrived at about 5 am. The race was to start around 7. We arrived to the pitch black course about an hour early, and sat in our car, not anxious to get out and stand in pouring rain and 35 mph wind any earlier than we had to. We parked about 10 feet from a "Johnny-on-the-job", so jumped out of the car and ran to use it. It was so dark that I didn't see the standing water, and from then on my feet were sopping wet. I ran back to the car, and we sat for a few minutes longer. I noticed that the Johnny had shifted slightly from where it had been initially. I urged Aaron to move the car to higher ground, as I visualized the Johnny making his way to our car. I'm quite certain that floating Johnny's + our car = gross.
Here's a video showing the conditions before the race
We left the car with an umbrella in hand, and made our way to the throngs of people trying to stay warm at the finish line. Many were attempting to stay dry with plastic bags tied around their feet and bodies. The cold wind cut through my top and shorts, so I used our umbrella more as a wind block than a device to keep dry -- I had already determined that that was a lost cause.
After a delay for lightening, we finally started. The first 3-4 miles we ran into the cold, gusty wind, and I kept my hand over my eyes, shielding from the torrential downpour that I feared would wash my contacts right out of my eyes. Basically, all I could see was the ground 3 feet in front of me. My shoes were soaked; I felt like I was wearing 5 pound ankle weights on eat one.
To make the situation worse, the race course was terrible. We ran a couple miles through a business park, then turned around and ran back. We ran down the side of a busy Interstate highway, with trucks spraying water on us from 2 lanes over.
Somehow, the further we went, the more motivated and energized I became. If I could finish this race, then every race thereafter would be a cakewalk. The rain and wind let up a bit around mile 8. We finally turned off of the highway, and entered St. Charles. I picked up my pace, and noticed runners that were walking against the direction of the course. I figured they were just insanely fast, and had already finished the half. They got closer and I could hear what they were saying: "They cut the race off at 10 miles. You've got 1 mile to go!"
What?! Are you kidding me? I just ran 9 miles through a flash flood, I have plenty of gas left in the tank, and they're not going to let me finish?!?!" I kicked it in gear and ran hard to the finish line. I finished my 10 miles in 1:26. In a hurricane. I was one my way to finishing in under 1:50. In a hurricane. It was an unforgettable experience, but one I'd like to not repeat.
The parking lot after it was all said & done.
Needless to say, I have been anxiously awaiting the chance to run another half marathon, this time without Ike in attendance. The Kansas City Marathon & Half Marathon is on Oct. 17. It is a difficult course, but I'm certain it does not go through a business park or down I-70.
The trouble is, I think I tore my meniscus at the end of July, so it looks like Aaron will have to go it alone. I would be much more upset if it were a more severe injury that would keep me from running in the future. I may even be able to run a race later on in the Fall. Keep in mind, I have not been to the doctor yet (though I have made an appointment), so I have no idea if my diagnosis is correct, but hours of searching the web has led me to believe the meniscus is to blame. Stupid meniscus.
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