Pain, pain, and more pain

Pilates ain't no Joke!

Tuesday night I went to a pilates class at the "Y" and I'm here to tell you that pilates is the real deal. I am sore in places that I never knew could be sore.

I got there about 5 minutes before the class started and found a large group waiting for the aerobics class to end. When it did they all rushed in the room to get a spot. I, however, trying to be a nice guy let the ladies go in 1st. The room was packed. I had hoped to get a spot in the back corner but because the place filled up so fast I ended up right next to the instructor. I wasn't so concerned with being next to the instructor, I was more concerned that I was now in front of the class and everyone would be watching what I was doing. It turned out to be excellent motivation. everytime I wanted to stop and rest I would remember that everyone was watching.
Truth be told, no one was watching, but I still used the motivation. I was also right in fornt of the mirror. After about ten minutes I was sweating like a beast. I glanced around the room and noticed that no one else was sweating, I tried to convince myself that it was because they were ladies and just don't sweat as much as guys. I'm gonna keep telling myself that.
My pilates partner(who was also my yoga partner)once again looked bored, but after class she admitted that she had to take a couple breaks, just as I had. That made me feel better. After class I talked to the instructor and told her it was my first time. She said I did awesome. She probably says that to everyone.
Overall it was a good experience and judging by the soreness I am feeling it seems to work. I think I'll try it a few more times to see how well ot fits into the new training plan.
I have learned a few lessons though.
1. No body cares what I'm doing(they are all trying to survive the workout themselves).
2.Arrive early and push the ladies out the way (other wise they'll do it to you).
3. Invest in a thick mat(thin yoga mats are worthless when you put them on hard wood floors).

I'll let you know how spin class turns out tonight.

Pilates=no joke

Me, Yoga Class?

Yep.
I went to my 1st ever yoga class tonight at the YMCA with a friend of mine. I think I liked it. I'll have to wait and see if I'm sore in the morning but as of right now I'm feeling good. I'm not nearly as flexible as I like to think I am, nor do I have the ab strength that I wish I had. But, I guess that all comes in time. I also did a 30 minute core workout class before yoga. That one was a toughy but I managed to get through them both only pausing to rest once in each class. So, now it seems I do yoga. How about that?

Tomorrow night is pilates night. I've never been to a pilates class but I hear its quite a workout. Hopefully I won't be too sore from today. I fully expect to be hurting Wednesday morning.

Wednesday night is a spin class(cycling) that I'm planning to attend. The reason I am hitting these classes 3 nights in a row is to see if I like them or not. I'm getting ready to move into a new phase of training and I want to add some new types of workouts to the mix. So, this is my test everything out week. Next week I'll make my final plan.

For those of you who do yoga, I will say that of the positions we did today my favorite was the 3 legged dog, and the only position I didn't do was the "cloud". But I think that's because I was trying to do it wrong.

I'll let you know how pilates turns out tomorrow.


Sadie's favorite position is "the licking dog"
Lily's favorite position is "laying on the bed"

Jazz Fest 2009

What a great weekend I'm having. Sunday I went to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The weather was perfect and the music was awesome. Better Than Ezra was good, as expected. But, I was really impressed by the Dave Matthews Band. They have some songs I like but after today I am a fan. I'm gonna have to go back and see what I've been missing. They were awesome, but Dave is still no Lenny McDaniel(That boy can sing!).

My 1st Triathlon

For those who may be interested, here is the story of the Triathlon.

Friday night the weather started get a little rough, windy and rainy. initially my concern was that the rain would make the water even colder. As it turns out, the water temp was the least of my worries. The wind was the killer. 10 minutes before the race I went down into the water to get acclimated to the temperature. Honestly it didn't feel as cold as when I was there Tuesday morning but it is possible that it didn't seem that cold because I was walking around in a cold mist while setting up my gear. I think I got used to being cold before entering the water.

As you can see from the pics, I was one of the few, very few competitors without a wetsuit (because I'm a beast, as the kids say). Looking back I wish I had a wetsuit not so much to keep me warm but because they make you more buoyant, and I coulda used that. The problem was that the heavy winds made the lake very rough and choopy. THus, I couldn't get into a rhythm. Everytime I tried to take a breath I got smacked in the face by another wave. I quickly realized that the swim was going to be less about speed and more about survival. In the pool it takes about 15 minutes to swim the distance. Saturday it took 22. But I was still smiling when I came out the water, happy to be alive..

The swim totally drained me, but it wasn't over there. I still had 19 miles on the bike, which wasn't that bad except, again, for the wind. From time to time the wind was at my back and I was cruising but it seems like more often than not the wind was in my face. That causes me to have to do more work. But I survived the distance. Again smiling because I was glad to finish that section of the race.

Then for my favorite and most comfortable part, the run. Well, under normal circumstances it would've been. However, I was totally drained after the bike. But, I gutted it out and started running. about a mile into the 3 mile run i got comfortable. That was good beacuse with a little less than a mile to go I realized that my friend Matt(who was also my training partner) was gaining on me. I am 34, he is 25. There was no way I was gonna let him catch me with less than a mile to go. So, I dug deep and turned it up a notch. I finished 38 seconds ahead of him. That's right, the old timer kicks @$$.

It was a good experience. My first thought was that I'm not doing triathlons anymore. It didn't take long before i started thinking about how I had survived some terrible conditions and that got me wondering how I would do in better conditions. Needless to say, there will be other triathlons. My long term goal is still to do the half Ironman in New Orleans next year, and probably a marathon somewhere between September and December.I will also do some sprint tri's along the way. Feel free to join me if you would like.

Thanks to the parents for coming up and to Emma and Elie as well. Y'all were a great support team.

Enjoy the pictures, and I'll see ya when i see ya, Scott.

The Triathlon is Complete

I survived it. I finished. The weather made it tough, but I will give you all the details when I get the pictures in. I'll write a full post with pictures. But, the important thing is that I can check it off my list. I'll email you when I update this thing.

Spring break, part 3

When last you read I was telling you about cutting the grass yesterday. Last night was a quiet night, I had sushi at whole foods for dinner, while a friend of mine ate chocolate mousse, Now that's a healthy dinner. Anyways, I am a fan of whole foods and I think that is going to be my new "fast food" place. Instead of McD's or the King I think I'll go to whole Foods and get one of their relatively healthy meals or salad bar. The food is good and there are always interesting people in there, so It'll be like free entertainment while I eat. But, as my friend pointed out, I need to make sure I don't sit in the same place every time otherwise I will look like some crazy stalker guy. Good point.

This morning I took the girls to the dog park. I'm super proud of Lily, she actually played with another dog today, as in antagonized a dog to play with her. I've had her for almost 10 months and that's the 1st time that has happened. She's still shy, but getting better all the time(just like me).

Tomorrow is the Triathlon. I'm not too nervous. I'm ready to do it. I'm starting to think about marathoning again. I like the tri training, but something in likes the idea of being a runner the most. I'll get through tomorrow first and then start worrying about whats next. Though I will definitely do the 1/2Ironman in New Orleans next year.

Anyone interested in heading to the triathlon in New Roads tomorrow can check out the website at: www.lawired.com/latri/Kenny/Home.html

Click on race details for directions.

Race starts at 8am.

or you can call me if you have any questions.

I know most of you wont be able to make it but just know that I will be thinking of you during the race. I'll be thinking of your smiling face as I cross the line, or possibly as the last thing I think of as I drown in the freezing cold lake. What a sweet thought to end a post with. :)

Spring Break, Part 2

Yesterday (Wednesday) turned out to be OK. I went to New Orleans to see some friends that I went to Northwestern State with. They are all married with kids so we met for a picnic so that the kids could play on the playground while we reminisced about the old days. We each brought our own food. So, I went to the Whole Foods on Magazine street and got a couple slices of pizza, because I try not to do fast food anymore, except chic-fil-a(LOVE IT).

Anyways, It was a beautiful day and it was nice to catch up with old friends. Most of us haven't seen each other in about 13-14 years. It was odd to see these people, we all remember each other the way we looked at 19/20 years old, none of us looked that different but it's easy to see that we are not kids anymore. In a way it made me feel a little old, but it also made me feel like there is a lot of life left in me.

As y'all know, I'm a big fan of Audubon Park. I have good memories there and was happy to add this one to the list. But my favorite memory is still the time that Sadie jumped into the fountain. And of course there were many days walking and jogging there. I always smile when I think of Audubon Park.

After a couple hours I headed back to Capital City. I had dinner with a friend from work and her husband, who is a professional chef. They made chicken parmesean. Very tasty. I even had a glass of red wine with it and finished the whole glass. Quite an accomplishment for me(there's more, read on).

Then we met some others at a place in town that has a beach volley ball league. We watched another coworker play while we drank, talked, and laughed about lots of different topics. I even had a beer. It took me a full hour to finish the bottle. I'm still a light weight but think of the money I save be being such a wuss-ass drinker.

Today I got up and headed to the Y for my last training swim before the race Saturday. it was much warmer than Tuesdays swim. Then I came home and cut the grass in the backyard. The dogs like to be outside when I cut the grass. The always lay in the spot of high grass. They seem to like that better than laying on the freshly cut grass, maybe it's softer.

So, now you know about my yesterday and today. Tonight I have big plans. Me and the girls are gonna be doing a whole lot of nothing. Actually, I'm gonna go to the outlet mall tonight or sometime tomorrow, I need new pants. Anybody wanna go?

So, this is Spring Break. Aaargh!

Here it is Tuesday afternoon, 3 o'clock, and I have already run out of things to do. This is going to be a long, boring week.

I decided not to go back and rewrite yesterdays post, that's history now. Onward ever onward!

This morning Matt (my coworker who is doing the tri) and I took a ride to New Roads to swim in False river. We have been swimming in the pool at the YMCA but thought it would be a good idea to try an open water swim, and we wanted to see how cold the water would be. It was freezing(not literally). But I walked right in and swam around a bit and eventually got used to it. However, it was a little hard to breathe when I first got in, so Saturday I will need to get in the water about 10 minutes before the race starts to get used to it, otherwise it may be a very short race.

New Roads looks like a cute little town. I might go back one weekend to take a closer look around, it would be a cute place to take a date if I could find a nice restaurant, and a suitable "lady friend"(If you know what I mean;) ).

Anyway, the water was cold and the town was cute. I am really excited but a bit nervous about the race. I just have to remind myself to survive the swim, survive the swim, survive the swim. I'm not worrying about speed this time. I just want to finish the race. I'll worry about speed in the future.

I came home and decided it was time to cut the grass. And, with it being such a pretty day it didn't seem like it would be too much of a chore. So, I cut the front yard, but not the back. I'm gonna let that wait till Thursday because I have nothing to do that day. The funniest and sort of sweet thing about cutting the grass in the front is that Sadie runs around the backyard and house whining because she can't be out there with me. i don't know if she thinks the mower is attacking me or if she just misses me but it's sweet that she wants to be where I am that bad. She is a sweet baby. Lily doesn't make as much noise but will bark some when I push the mower along the fence line.

Well, it's 3:22 now. I just passed 15-20 minutes blogging. What else can I do to occupy myself? Anybody want to go get some coffee, or a beer, bowling, putt-putt, outlet shopping, hiking, dog walking, bungee jumping, bike riding, sushi, or something? I'm bored.

What a fabulous start to spring break. least I get to spend quality time with the pups. That I do like!

Just another manic monday

Crap, I just wrote a long post and accidentally deleted it. I don't have the energy to rewrite it now. I'll work on it tomorrow. Now I must go move Sadie and Lily on to their side of the bed. I'm exhausted. Good night.

CCC 2009

The pic at the top (in blue)is from the marathon back in February.

I may come back and add a story to this post, maybe not. The pic of me in grey is a picture of me running the Crescent City Classic this morning, and no, I didn't win. Damned Kenyans!
the pic at the top (in blue)is from the marathon back in February.

A Lily Tail (tale)

Lily is a very sweet dog, most of the time. She can be a little mischevious, highstrung, and a little destructive but she can also be very sweet, personable, and cuddly. Today, I don't know what to call her. Let me rewind.

a couple months ago I installed a dog door so that Liliy and Sadie could go outside during the day if they wanted. I didn't want them to be cooped up in the house while I was at work and figured they would let themselves out and run around the backyard to burn off extra energy. Energy burn off was a big reason why I put the door in. You see, there had been several times when I came home to find various things torn up around the house like mail, pillows, magazines,etc. So, the door idea seemed to make sense.

And since putting in the door there have been very few occurences of things being torn up in the house(though Lily did unleash her wrath on one of the couches last week). However, I quickly learned to close my closet door and not leave things laying around. It seems that Lily developed a new habit of bringing things outside through the dog door. It started with a sock, then a dishrag, then (unevitably) my underwear. But those were small potatoes. Next thing you know it was blue jeans, shoes, and a couple of days ago she even managed to get the fitted sheet off the bed and out in to the yard. That one I was sort of impressed by. But now it seems that things are moving in reverse, I guess she has run out of things to bring outside.

Today when I came home from work I found that Lily brought in a little present for me. The bed was coverd with leaves and pieces of twigs. We had some rough weather a few days ago and so we have some small branches in the yard. The dogs like to chew on sticks sometimes, so I guess lily wanted to be comfortable while chewing so she brought it on the bed, which happens to be her favorite place in the whole world, she loves laying on the bed.

I dont mind some sticks and leaves but if she starts bring in small animals or other peoples underwear then we will have a problem.

Here are some pics of the event. She is a cutie









...and be sure to notice that I didn't add any pictures of Sadie. Because I don't have favorites.

That's a lot of swimming

Yesterday I went to the Y after school to do my swimming workout. The workout called for 1400 yards(64 laps). I wasn't sure that I had the energy to swim .9 miles but I haven't worked out since last Monday and wtih the Tralthlon drawing near I knew I couldn't keep ducking my workouts.

So, I got in the water. Normally I swim a couple laps and the stop for a minute. Last week however, my friend Matt and I had a sort of breakthrough. We decided to swim for a specified amount of time instead of laps. So instead of swimming four laps and stopping I swam for 8 minutes, Which was 16 laps. my previous consecutive streak was 10. But, At the end of last weeks workout I reeled off 24 straight(56 total laps). I was quite happy about that.

So, yesterday I decided that I would just swim until I felt like I needed to take a break. Well I swam 80 laps consecutively. 80 laps = 1.14 miles (2000 yards). Needless to say, I am stoked about that achievement. It took 43 minutes and surprisingly I didn't feel like I was gonna die at the end. I actually felt good when I was done and I don't even feel sore today. I am definitiely liking the swimming part of the training, now if I would only feel the same way about the cycling and running.

Which reminds me. I thought I was gonna get to keep all of toenails after the marathon. Now, I'm not so sure. Not to gross anyone out but I think I'm about to lose one. I'm sad about that, I don't like losing body parts but I guess that's the price we endurance atlhletes must pay for our passion and sport. I sure am gonna miss that little guy(if it goes).

For those of you who are prayerful people, Please keep me in your thoughts, and not just because of the Triathlon.

TTFN, Scott.

Happy Birthday!!!!!!!

The Ides of March are upon us, and that can only mean one thing. It's Sadie's birthday. She turns 3 today. I can't believe it's already been 3 years, they grow up so fast. I remember they day we found her outside the Petsmart in Slidell, and we just couldn't "leave this sweet angel here". Sadie came home to the FEMA trailer and has been my lil' podna ever since.

Lily turns one today. I can't remember the date we determined was her birthday, it's either two weeks ago or two weeks from now. So, I'm rounding it to today to make it easy to remember. Lily was rescued from the mean streets of NOLA East by a friend but he couldn't keep her. We wanted a friend for Sadie and were moving into a house with a big yard so it seemed the time was right. She has made a wonderful addition to the family. She too is a sweet baby.

Happy Birthday Sadie and Lily, Daddy loves you!(Yes, I know they are dogs).

I know I said I would come back and tell the Mardi Gras stories but I've been really busy this week. Hopefully I will spin those yarns soon.

Today I have a special treat for you. It seems that spring is trying to send winter packing and I find the foliage around the house coming to life. So, the Pups and I went out to enjoy an afternoon. Here are some pics. Enjoy!



Sadie and Lily playing in the yard. We were outside for about an hour. They were chasing the toys I was throwing, chasing each other, and chasing me. Good exercise for the whole family.


Lily the one eared dog. I figure I have posted many Sadie pictures over the year so it's only fair to give Lil the occasional solo picture. Lily really has 2 ears.



Some of the prettiness in the front garden.


Colorful row of shrubbery between the house and the street.


This is what I see when I look at my bedroom window, not a bad view if I must say. Even prettier on a sunny day.

I hope you all are doing well. I'll be out of town for a couple days but will check in when I get back. Have a great weekend y'all.

Keep checking back, I should have this thing updated sometime over the weekend. I'm sure you all want to hear about my Mardi Gras experiences. I've been quite busy so I haven't had time to tell those tales. I do have time to tell them now but I am way to tired. Looks like I'll be sleeping by 8:45 tonight. I'll be getting up at 4:30 to hit the pool in the morning. Ah yes, this life of mine, 'tis the battle i love.

I will tell you this though, I went to an Indian(as in India) restaurant for dinner tonight, it seems that I do like Indian food that doesn't have much curry. Now I know.

a weekly update

Well it’s been a week or so since I updated so I thought I would give you an update as to my goings on.

Triathlon training is going well so far. The swimming is getting much better but I have this click in my left shoulder and after many clicks it starts to ache. I’m sure I take several hundred strokes per workout. That equals a lot of clicks. Thus, my left shoulder is very sore today. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to need to have someone look at it eventually. But, I have found that I can modify the stroke on my left arm and avoid the click. It just creates a stroke that is much different than the one I do with my right. I don’t know if it throws off my balance or efficiency but it doesn’t hurt and that works for me.

The cycling is going well. I invested in the padded shorts. Whoever invented those things was a genius. The only down side is that I feel like I’m walking around wearing a diaper. Not Cool!

Oddly enough, running is the hardest part. I’m not really enjoying the running right now, probably because the other stuff is new and exciting. But running is my old standby and my true love. The passion will return when the excitement of the new stuff wears off, I hope.

Last weekend was a good weekend. I was much busier than I anticipated. Dinner Friday night was awesome, pork tenderloin, green beans, and mashed potatoes. Saturday, I thought I would be hanging out around the house for most of the day but I ended up cycling in the morning for 80 minutes and went running at the LSU lake with a friend around 4. Steven and I hit Brew-bachers for lunch, my belly was quite full. It’s probably good that I had 2 workouts. Sunday was good too. A little family/parade time in Slidell. Of course someone had to bring fried chicken. Yes, it was good. But I limited myself to 2 pieces. But I did have 5 brownies.

I feel a little guilty that I was not home more. Luckily the dogs have each other to entertain themselves. Nothing beats coming home and having those 2 sweet angels jumping all around with there tails wagging happy to see me. I gotta get a camera so I can post some new pics, they are the most awesome dogs ever!

This week at school is one that I have been looking forward to for a while now. We are studying Supreme Court Cases. I find this stuff to be very exciting, almost as exciting as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Wednesday and Thursday should be good. The kids have wanted a debate for a while now, and now they get it. Among the other cases we will mention I am going to let them discuss Roe v. Wade for a few minutes. Sparks will fly, that’s why were going to do it last. Hopefully time will run out before we get there.

In other good news, I got my taxes done and don’t owe anything, Yea! I’m getting a little back. I think I’m going to spend it all on frivolous things to stimulate the economy, any suggestions? And no, personal checks to you do not count.

Another movie review

I went to see the movie "Taken" tonight. I thought it was pretty good. I wouldn't put it in the great category but it was very good. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but it didn't meet my expectations. But again, It was good, worth the price of admission but I probably wouldn't go twice. Looking back on what I just typed, I think it's safe to say I'll never work as a movie critic.

On the training front. I did my first workout in the pool yesterday. 40 laps=1000 yards. In the beginning it was a bit awkward but by the end of the workout I figured a few things out. I slowed down, got into a rhythm and controlled my breathing. It got better, I didn't drown. The good news is that I swam 1000 yards(924 meters). The race in April has an 800 meter swim, so it seems that I could make it. The problem is that yesterday I stopped after every 50 yards. Stringing the laps together is definitely gonna take some work and effort.

Today I came home and got on the bike. I rode for an hour(roughly 13 miles) and felt good at the end. The race is 18 miles so I'm very confident that the cycling part of the race wont be a problem. The trick is definitely gonna be surviving the swim. Tomorrow I'm supposed to run for 25 minutes. I'll probably double that. I feel like running is my thing, the part of the race where I can have the most success. Also, 25 minutes just doesn't feel like much to me right now. But I don't want to push to hard. I'm trying to progress slowly and steadily so I don't burn out. It seems like the right thing to do.

That's all I had for today. I hope you all are doing well, I'll holla atcha lata. Scott.

Down the Bayou, Over the River and Through the Woods

Down the Bayou
Well, I did not really go down the bayou but I did do a little Cajun dancing Friday night. Thursday night I got some waltz and two-step lessons. Friday night I went to Boutin's. It's a Cajun restaurant here in Capital City. The great thing is that Thurs-Sun night they have a live Cajun band playing and a large dance floor in the middle of the place. I put my skills to work. I'm not a great dancer but luckily no one got hurt. Luckily my legs finally felt rested from last weeks marathon, 'bout time. I also recommend the blackened alligator, DELICIOUS!

Saturday
It was a good day. I took the kids(dogs) to the Dog park for a couple of hours. It was absolutely gorgeous outside and there were tons of dogs there. Lily is getting more social, she ALMOST plays with other dogs, almost. Sadie on the other hand will play with anyone. She does not discriminate. She played with a Dachshund and 5 minutes later became best buds with a great Dane. I gotta get a camera, Sadie and the Dane were hilarious. Once we got home we kicked it around the house for a while before I headed out to the movies. "The Wrestler" is definitely a guy movie. Ladies, you may enjoy it but if there is another option I would take it. Guys, you gotta see it. You can thank me later.

Over the river and through the woods
Today I got up early and headed to "The Country" to spend some time with my Grandmother, who is completely awesome. One of my cousins is currently living with her(because she goes to college to get more knowledge) and the 3 of us went to church and then out to eat. I absolutely loved it. My Grandmother never ceases to amaze me and make me laugh. I am 34 now and today is the 1st time I ever remember hearing my Grandmother sing. She was singing the hymns at church and it dawned on me that I had never heard her sing before. It was one of the sweetest sounds I have ever heard. I will never forget today or the sound of my Grandmother singing. It makes me smile just thinking of it.

Then we went to lunch. Catfish topped with Crawfish Etoufee(A-2-Fay). Quite tasty, but not as the delicious as the seafood and spinach dip, Amazing! Then we headed back to her house and sat and talked for a while. My Lil' cousin is great, I don't know how to describe her but to say she's great(sorry I couldn't think of anything better than that).

Then it was back to the house. I did my first run since the marathon today. 30 minutes worth, or about 2.75 miles. It felt good. Tomorrow I start my training for the triathlon. After work its off to the Y to do some laps in the pool. I know it's gonna kill me, but I can't wait.

It was a pretty full weekend. But not a stressful weekend.

I feel good about things right now. Not great yet, but definitely good. The Sun was definitely shining this weekend, in so many ways.


Hopefully you got the over the river and through the woods(to grandmothers house we go) joke. I'm going to get a camera soon, it's been a while since I've put up any pics of Sadie and Lily. I know how you all look forward to pictures of those 2.

The Next Big Thing

So here I am, just days after completing my first marathon. I'm still a little sore but I'm already looking ahead. I have decided to do the 16Th annual Louisiana Triathlon in New Roads, Louisiana on April 18Th. This race consists of a half mile swim(800 meters), 18 mile cycle, and a 3.1 mile run. This will be my first Try at a Tri(my attempt at humor). I am super excited. Ive got a little less than 2 1/2 months to get ready.

I joined the local YMCA today so that I can start training for the swimming portion of the race. I think that will be the most difficult part. The "Y" also has spin classes which I can use as an alternative to riding my bike around Capital City.

I'm not going to start any training until Monday. I'm giving my body time to recover from the marathon. But I am excited about training for three events at once. I think it will be good because I wont be bored because I'll be doing something different every day. We'll see.

Well, I just wanted to let you all know what I was up to. I'll be chillaxin' for a couple more days but come Monday it's back to work. Who knows, this could be the summer of the 6 pack, HA!

My First Marathon

All the training seems to have paid off. About 6 months ago I decided that I wanted to run a marathon. I had several reasons for wanting to do it but mostly I wanted to see how far I could go(as most of you know I tend to go too far). Well, I didn't go too far yesterday, I went just far enough. The months of training paid off as I finished the New Orleans Mardi Gras Marathon in an official time of 4:58:35. My goal was to finish under 5 hours. Well, let me back up, my goal was to FINISH. My second goal was to finish under 5 hours. I finished with a minute and 25 seconds to spare. Yea Me!

I ran with the 5 hour pace group. Katherine our leader(the lady carrying the sign in the pictures) was great. She kept us motivated, entertained, and maintained an even pace. I don't think I would have been as successful without her, and her running skirt(inside joke).

I slept very little Saturday night. I was up at 4:45, made it downtown at 6:15. the race started at 7AM. My only warm up was some stretching. I knew my body would warm up over the first 2-3 miles, and it did. The 1st 2 miles hurt as my body woke up. As I passed mile 3(picture below) I starting feeling loose. I shed my long sleeve shirt and grabbed my 1st bottle of Gatorade from one of my support crew(newly dubbed "Team Pegasus"). Notice that I am smiling in this picture.

We made our way up St. Charles Ave to Audubon Park. I love Audubon park. It's a special place to me. As I ran around the park I couldn't help but think about the time Sadie jumped into the fountain there, makes me laugh every time. The picture below is at mile 8.5. I was feeling really good at this point, even high-fiving my peeps. Notice that I am running with a group of people. at this point there were probably 50 of us in the group(that's Katherine carrying the sign).I made it to the half way point in 2 hours 29 minutes. We were right on pace. We lost most of our group at the halfway point because most of the people were doing the half marathon. Our group shrank to about 15-20. Halfway through (13.1 miles)and I felt really good. This is where I made my one pit stop, a little to much Gatorade perhaps.

We then headed down towards City park, which again makes me think of the time Sadie jumped in the lagoon there, that makes me laugh too. I was feeling good when we reached the park. At about mile 16 I started to feel a little pain. Mile 18 I started to hurt. I carried that hurt with me the rest of the way. I stopped for a minute at mile 20 to stretch for a minute. It's OK, that was a planned stop. I got fluids and gel from Crawford and Bern and spent the next mile catching up to the ever shrinking 5 hour group. I caught them at mile 21.

The picture below is at mile 22. The group is much smaller now. Everyone was hurting here but everyone was being really positive. One of the things that I enjoyed was the camaraderie that developed. People who had never seen each other before were constantly encouraging new friends. It was great to see people supporting each other like this. It made a big difference in my day. Had I done this alone I may have finished, but there is no way I would have finished under 5 hours. At this point every part of my body was hurting but I had decided that there was no way in hell that i would stop. At mile 24 we were down to a group of 3. Our fearless leader, me, and the lady with the doo-rag(I don't remember her name). But doo-rag began to fade a bit. So, It was just the 2 of us as we reached mile 25. Katherine said she was gonna walk through the last water station to help doo-rag. She told me that if I was feeling good that I should just keep running to the finish. I said OK(that's all the words I had energy to muster). Below is me, alone, just after mile 25. Here I had one mile to go. I spent the last mile thinking about everything I have been through in the last couple months. I thought about the highs and lows. I thought about the brightness of the future and what it will bring. I thought about all of the hard work and training I put into this race. I thought about the commitment I made and how, even though every step hurt, I was glad that I was doing this.


Then, about a half mile from the finish, I didn't notice the pain anymore(but believe me, it was there). All I could think about was me and the rapidly approaching finish line. I knew I was going to finish. The thought of finishing what I started 6 months ago was almost overwhelming. From running 3 miles a few months ago, to 26.2 yesterday was an amazing thought. To know that the farthest I had ever run was 20 miles a few weeks ago to 6 more than that in the race was an awesome thought. I looked down at my watch, looked up to see how close I was to the Superdome, looked at my watch again then said to myself, "i got this". I knew I was getting close to going under 5 hours, I thought I needed to pick up my pace just a little to make sure. In my head I could feel that I was pushing harder but my body didn't seem to be moving any faster. About a quarter mile to the finish I could finally tell I was moving faster As I approached the finish The PA announcer announced my name, I wasn't expecting that, and that's when I knew I was there. I ran across the line and smiled for the first time in miles. I bowed my head and some guy put my finishers medal on me.

Then I stumbled around for a few minutes. I congratulated some of the people who I ran with, some finished ahead of me others behind, and thanked Katherine for her help.

I thought to myself how in many ways I was glad I crossed the line by myself. I thought how I was glad that my support team hadn't made it to the finish line in time to see me cross. I could not have made through the race with out them and it would have been great to have them there yelling for me at the end, but this race was a very personal quest and achievement. I did this for me and now I know what I can do. I know that I can handle the tough times. I know that i can continue on through the pain because there is joy at the end. I learned a lot yesterday.

So I finished my first marathon yesterday. 4 hours, 58minutes,35 seconds.
Maybe I'll do another one some time, we'll see .

THANK YOU
Thank you to my race day support team and to all of you who have been sending me emails and texts.

Special thanks to Crawford and Bern, Having you there was awesome. good work on the signs. my favorite was the one about Sadie chasing the Squirrel.

Uncle Brian- Thanks for coming in, I really appreciate it. You can run with me next year.

Aunt Wanda- It was a surprise to see you and it really picked up my spirits to see you.

Elizabeth- It always makes me smile to see you, I'm glad you came.

Steve- you might have been the loudest of the group, but that wouldn't surprise anyone who knows you. You are a great brother and I really appreciate you being there.

Tom- Thanks for not falling asleep during the race

Mom- Thanks for being there, as you always are. What else can I say

Special thanks to my training partners Sadie and Lily for getting me through those tough training runs.

And finally, Thanks K, for all the times you believed in me and told that I could do anything. Thank You!