"She's Actual Size" - TMBGiants

Dawn.

I. heart. Dawn.  Click on her name. [yes, now]

This girl is running 12 marathons in 12 months.

incredible.

I met up with her & Slowmo in Tucson [I sadly only saw Slowmo for a few brief moments but he'll be back to Rock RnR AZ . . . one day soooooooooooon!! ;) ]

I didn't even get a photo with him. boooooo!  You rock SlowMo!!

Found Dawn at the expo.  Loved her immediately.

You bet cha, we met up for dinner with all my fam.  awesome.

Honestly, the best dinner [company, conversation, laughs] I've had in the longest freaking time.

She's not short.  I just like love my heels [yes, even, on race day eve].
Ya, know when you meet someone and the very next day you [and your mom are inviting them to stay at your house come January].  It was one of "those" meet-ups.

Dawn, see you [ & CO ] in January.

happy. emz

Oh and you bet cha I bought this photo.  My parents & family are so proud of me and my adult humor.

I'll get you all a better/clearer version when it arrives but until then . . . .

flip. off.  X.  2

Take.
That.Tucson.
Marathon.

I'll be back, next year.
For the last 10 minutes you owe me.

"It's Tricky" - Run DMC

Well and it's a little sticky, salty, sweaty, crampy, musty & ugly.

But it's also weirdly lovely, pretty, funny, crazy & [possibly my] favorite----y.

In the words of Tone Loc . . . "Let's do it"

The first two miles are crazy.  Like.  crazy.  downhill. 

Now......unless you can run the course or have some insane downhill areas in your neighborhood.  I. have. no. freaking. clue. how. you. train. your. quads. for. this. 

But if I run this again next year, I'm going somewhere to train.

I'm going to keep this [mostly] simple with little [pace] data.  The numbers show I didn't do it right.  That's that.

Gu'd at 9 [usually wait until 13 but thought better safe than sorry.....choked it down]

Low-fived a male BQ'er at mile 10 and he said the words:  "We've banked two minutes."  I knew that "b" word   =   trouble. 

From what I know . . .

you.
don't.
bank.
minutes. 

you. just. don't.

banking = you've gone out too fast/too hard

[yes, my Dad was a real "banker" . . . save. save. save.  It's in my blood.] ;)

Anyway.

the gross. [sorry mom, dad & any family . . . .it's what runners want/need to know]

at 11 ummm had to do the duty. 

I have never.ever.ever.[one more time] ever had to do this during a race [ya, never] so I use my running turn signal and go left off in the dirt about 5' off course [kinda behind a car] drop the pants, turn to see if anyone can see [uhhh ya, hello! like 22 eyes a blaze . . .] one guy yells out:  "hey Spot [yes, he's referencing my arm sleeves], you are not discrete, there's a P-o-P at 13?!.. [laughs]".

Uggg.  fine.  up they go and I'm running, again.
Get to 13.  feeling.  has.  passed. 
so I pass the P-o-P.

I'm feeling not so fab.  But I know that once I get past 13, the rest is "easy".  But.  I. Need. water. and salt pills.  IT.  IS.  HOT.

blah. blah. blah.  getting dizzy.

[stopping to drink at every station]  I didn't stop once in Portland [yep, my 3:20 marathon PR, {click on 3:20, if you need proof, I clicked on it 44 times already} I did actually run fast back in July, uggg.]. 

what's. freaking. going. on?

At 19. 

I see these:

PLUS.  the.  Pita.  in.  his.

freaking.
happy. emz.

little.  mishap. on the salt pills I was to pick up here but.  it. is. what it. is.
it. was. what. it. was. big smooch to MY Pita.

on. we. go.

oh wait.. ..  .. .. ..

not so fast.

19.2 it's "go time".  Yep, that "go time".

All I could think about what SUAR.  Like WWJD?  WWSUAR do?

So I went about 7' this time out to the Tom Petty, "great wide open" and "drop[ed] it low". [sorry, I just love that song].

Then the comments came flying in from fellow runners.

The ones I remember:

"at least your a$s isn't white.  nice tan."

"Oh L*rd, why didn't you go off course a bit more?"

"I've never seen a woman [at least he called me a woman] be so blatant about [cuss word]+ing."

Grabbed the biggest/smoothest rock I could find and.......
yay. freaking. me.

back. in. semi-business.

Now here's just a crazy amount of photos.

Toes cramped at 19.5 stayed cramped throughout.  Have a 1" blister from the toe overlapping issues.  nice. 

Toe cramps..............I CAN handle.

Calf cramps.
Quad cramps.
Not so much.

You can't talk your legs out of a cramp.
When they want to collapse.
They will.
And they do.
And they did.

Who walks at 24.1?  Me.

I could NOT physically run.  It wasn't a mind over matter thing here.  It was a cramp taking over my body movements thing here.

It was sad.
It was depressing.
It was what it was.  not. my. day.

I'm to [cuss word] stubborn to keep walking so I keep trying to run.  Each time making it about .2 of a mile before my foot wouldn't make it under my body weight in time.

[don't read this mom & dad]

At 25.1 you know where the photo guy was last year.  when I was all pollyanna kind of happy. [I asked him first] but .......... I. flipped. him. off.

with. both. hands.

Sorry, the Pita's trick is rubbing off on me. [that's my excuse anyway]

I think the contrast of 2009 to 2010. will. be. awesome. to. see.

At 25.5 I saw KP & CP who had their shirts on and had asked the DJ to play "walk this way" [run dmc] for when I came around. 

The "walk" this way part did sting a bit. ;) but it was awesome.  Oh ya and she's the girl I grabbed by the arm at mile 25 at RnR AZ last year and said, "you don't freaking walk at 25".  Yes, my foot tastes awesome though.

I have a girl pass me as my legs gave out [once again].  I let out a too loud, "hell no!" yes, I had a potty mouth this day. 

I had .3 left. 

I was not letting her cross the line before me. 

MY. DAD. WAS. here.  He's the reason I try and sprint at the end. 

This was going to be ugly.  And it was. [Matty-O, make a comment on my form and I will hurt you.  That right calf . . . . I have no clue how it was landing under my body.]

but. worth. it.

You bet your bum, I passed her.

Done.
3:26:14

But I want to know what this kid was doing?

Pita's long lost little brother?!

1.16.11

you. guys. rock.

and again.
huge "thank you" to my family & friends.

love you.

"That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore" - The Smith's

Ever tried to write a "it wasn't too bad but NOT good" Race Recap/report before?!

A lot of typing mixed with a lot of deleting.

Was completely freaked after Race Packet pick-up when I saw my number was "911"
Yep,  9 - 1 - 1.

Like 9-11 [twin towers]
Like "911, what is your emergency?"

Reminded me of this: 911 is a joke - Public Enemy [flavor Flav].

I was happy when the Pita & Laurie reminded me of this song.

"Fire Burning" - Sean Kingston  . . . . . "someone call 911! . . .Shawty [Emz]fire burning on the dance floor whoa!"

Truth be told.  I was not liking this.

I. am. not. superstitious. [ha]

Thanks to all of you who sent kind words through email and in comments.  greatly appreciated.

I did stumble upon this this morning [a la Jason] :
"stotanism"
The definition, according to Mr Burfoot[author of the book he was reviewing], is that stotanism is about toughness, though it doesn't imply an insensitive, superman [I'll add super WO-man] approach. The stotan must be willing to stand on his[her] own, to resist pain, to stick to his[her] ideals. A stotan is quietly self-sufficient. He/she accepts the challenges of training, injuries, races, and disappointments without complaining, because [s]he understands that simply by keeping on, by sticking to the path [s]he has chosen, [s]he will get stronger and better.

* * * * * That last part: * * * * *


[s]he accepts the challenges of training, injuries, races, and disappointments without complaining, because he understands that simply by keeping on, by sticking to the path he has chosen, [s]he will get stronger and better. 

And.
I AM going to add "faster". 

Because.
I.
want.
to. ;)

So that being said . . . . . .

 . . . . .  .I am hard on myself.

I expect a-freaking lot of myself.
I can do better than I did. 
I have done better than I did.
No question about it.....I'll get that PR.

Real. Race Report tomorrow.  And trust you-me . . . It's a doozy.
Once you add in all the gooey/painful/gory/gross details.

Emz official time was 10 minutes slower than I hoped but 10 minutes faster than last year.


3:26:14

Yes. 
There.
were.
tears.

BUT . . . .

[they were at the hotel. when I was alone]
on a positive note . . . . I didn't throw toss [lightly] my medal into the dirt/grass this time.  yay me.

Got to enjoy being with my friends and family at the finish line. Smelly hugs, salty kisses and a whole lotta [black] RUN EMZ shirts blazing in the AZ sun.
Trying to dance [while experiencing flipping bad cramps] to the "cupid shuffle" with the Pita [pretending he didn't know me].  awesome.

I have the most amazing support group [cheerleaders] any person could dream of having.

I.
Am.
Blessed.

AND

I AM getting that PR in January.

Super Bon Bon -SC

Love Soul Coughing - great running music.

Me = E.T.  . . . . is . . . .

Registered for the

Tucson Marathon.

12/12/10.

My [$49 purchased] profile picture was taken at this very marathon last year.

I really was THAT happy at 25.2.

How can I say "no"?!

What?!  You're running it too!?