Run in the Park Recap...I'm Sexy and I Know It

On November 5, 2011, Haley and I participated in the Run in the Park held at Hermann Park. This event was created to raise money for the park. The best part was that we could walk up there from my apartment; however, we drove up there due to the temperatures and not knowing how we would feel about walking after running a 5 mile run. We also layered up, too, which in hindsight was not the best of ideas.

This was a cool running experience for me, because it forced me to run on the other side of Hermann Park. I've actually never ventured to the other side, not because I was scared that it was the dark side or anything (I'm all for Darth Vader), but more because I just got set in my ways and knew my running track. And it's a shame, because this part of the track is really quite beautiful and reminds me of Washington D.C. or something. With the cold temperatures, it really reminded me of D.C.

Haley and I got there 30 minutes before the race started. That was our opportunity to stretch out good, warm up, and take some pictures (okay, me).

Haley is the new 2011 Hermann Park Heisman Winner.

To warmup, I was running in place...this is the outcome.

And now, I have added high kicks.

Isn't this so beautiful?

Our standard before shot.

This race was also special, because they were debuting a new running/walking trail called The Hermann Park Trail.

Dedication ceremony of the new Hermann Park Trail.

They played the National Anthem, which I still wasn't sure if it was sung live or by recording. It was really cool, because these flock of birds just circled the flag and flew off at the end of the song. Some say it was beautiful, others might say it was a magical moment. Finally, the race started and we ran at a nice pace. Every so often, I would get caught up in the speed of the crowd and Haley would tell me to slow it down. After a while, I said, "Does it seem like we are getting passed alot?" Then, we hit the 1 mile marker...10:46 minutes. Haley said, "That's why we are getting passed." So, we were kindof slow this race. I know it had a lot to do with me being sick all week; my chest was tight, my nose was stuffed, and I just didn't have the energy to move fast. We basically had a 10-11 minute mile for the entire run (maybe we got faster on the last mile). There was this one girl that cheered us on loudly and happily. The other supporters were just blah, no emotion, didn't care why they were there. Haley even told her that she was her favorite.

Haley and I didn't stop and just kept on going. I would tell her that I needed to slow it down, but we didn't stop. We didn't even get any water. The park was really quite lovely, but I wore too many layers. My thermal shirt had a death grip on my arm, which was causing me to get tingles in my fingers. I kept having to wiggle my hands and thought I was going to have to stop to fix the shirt when Haley (my hero) fixed it for me. I'm guessing it was due to the sickness, but I just felt out of my element, uncomfortable. Even my hat was starting to bother me. So, I tried to focus on my breathing and controlling it.

Sometimes, Haley would sing out her favorite running song, "I'm sexy and I know it" by LMFAO (not the official video, but where you can hear the song), which is now our theme song. So, we just kept singing that to take our minds off of the run. Here is a link to the official video, because it is freaking hilarious. Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! Wiggle! However, I throw caution to the wind...do NOT watch if you get offended easily. It's graphic for sure, but tastelessly funny. I constantly hear that in my head now when I run...thank you Haley.

We were coming up on the last 2 miles and I was now feeling it. I didn't think I had anything left in me and that's when Haley springs the news on me...we are going to push it for the last mile to make up some time. WHAT? I'm pretty sure I have whined this whole time about losing steam yadda yadda yadda. And then THEY showed up...the talkers. Normally, runners are encouraged to talk to their running partners, especially when gauging your speed and how it's affecting your body. If you can't hold a conversation, then you are going to fast. But these 2 people talked incessantly and loudly. I don't think they even took breaths. She had this deep southern LOUD twang and he was just a loud talker. They talked about the most annoying stuff ever. Unfortunately, we couldn't leave them for a mile. Finally, at the 1.5 mile spot, I had had enough. I started to speed up to at least clear some distance. Yeah...you could still hear them talking and we were away from them. I was beginning to worry that I was using too much of my already limited energy to get away from them and I wouldn't have anything left for the last mile. However, once the last mile came, Haley and I just picked up the pace even more. I know it had a lot to do with the fact that we could still hear the guy talking, but we finally got away from them. Thank you secret stored energy from an unknown place.

Our favorite cheerer was coming up and she just said, "Okay, 6 more minutes." NOOOO....we need distance, not time. But she was so excited that we truly didn't care. Finally, we were on the home stretch, that last hoo-rah. Haley asked me if it was okay if she picked up speed and I didn't mind at all. In fact, I stayed with her for awhile until the final turn. I increased too soon and sputtered out early. She sped ahead and I held back letting all those people I passed now pass me. At the last 0.15 mile, I dug deep to increase the speed. I could see my time on the clock and I didn't want it to go to the next minute. I crossed the finish line at 57 minutes, but my official time was 57:06.5. Haley's time was 56:58.6. Full race results are here.

This was not my best run, but it was my best PR for a 5-mile run (who cares that I haven't done an official 5-mile run before). If we would have kept this pace for a 10K, then I would have been under 1 hour, 10 minutes. That is my goal people. So, I'm still happy with the results.

Haley and I taking our post-run shot.

Afterwards, we decided to get the complimentary massage and stretch and it was sooooo worth it. I'm going to do that as much as I can after each race. We also finally tried the Muscle Milk, Honey Chocolate and it was really good. It had less sugar than regular chocolate milk and lots more protein. I think I'm going to add it to my list of things to start drinking. I also got a compliment about my shirt and lots of stares (I'm guessing the girls weren't staring at my chest).

That's me getting an awesome stretch.

Haley and I feeling good after our complimentary massage and stretch.

The rest of the day was a busy one for both of us, so we didn't have much time to chill out after the race. Overall, I need to get better so that I can survive the half marathon...which is coming up VERY SOON. EEK!