oops, i did it again

a few months ago i ran the nyc marathon and followed it up with a 4-mile trail race. i then complained a lot about how hard it was, how i thought i was going to die, and how one should never do such a ridiculous thing. i have never once denied that i am hard-headed.

monday: boston marathon
wednesday: mri of my head (to diagnose my insanity)
saturday: erm, kentucky derby marathon

a while back i registered for the derby marathon knowing it was a mere 5 days after boston. somehow i still thought it'd be a brilliant idea to double up on marathons. it was mostly intriguing because i can go ahead and cross kentucky off my list and not have to return if/when work ever sends me home. my training, of course, fell by the wayside after i'd already registered for both races, but i was always going to "just-run" the kentucky derby marathon regardless.

in the end, i did better in the derby marathon than boston. go figure. i was a seeded runner and therefore could've started in front of the corrals (there are like 13,000 people in the half and both races start together). however, i was utilizing the portapotty as the race started and instead had to jump in with the run/walk corral. it wasn't bad though, i knew it would force me to take it easy for the first few miles and it's not like i really should've been up with the fast people anyway.

i met a few cool folks while running, got to run through churchill downs, and made some much-needed gains in mental toughness. i told myself to "htfu" like some of my california friends do and i kept digging deep for that extra 30% (thanks meg!). when i caught myself feeling tired, i focused on my arms, picking up my legs, and surging/increasing turnover. i know i'm not in great shape and i did just run a marathon a few days before, and it was a hard-fought battle for a sub-4. it felt awesome to make it to the finish line with a few seconds to spare knowing how hard i'd worked for it.

thanks to all the louisville spectators who came out to cheer us on in the morning rain! especially one couple in this year's boston jackets who called me "pink" (color of my shirt) and cheered for me. it meant a lot as i was there all alone, no friends or family.

normally i crinkle my bib up but this one had those stupid 'b-tag' chips :(

kentucky derby marathon - 3:59:14 / 9:03 avg pace

(i swear, i'll talk about boston soon)