Flying Pig: Even more photos!!!

Swiped these of the Pig's Facebook page :) Next time I'll have a camera on course!! Don't miss my race report here!!

Best water stop ever, the Blues Brothers!

Elvis!!

We started off running next to Forrest Gump.

Race report: Flying Pig weekend

The Flying Pig Marathon was hands down the best event I have ever done. I ran for 5 hours, 21 minutes and 7 seconds and genuinely loved every second of it. (Separate blog post with more photos.)

Thinking back to how miserable I was the last 8 miles of the Columbus Marathon, trying to make a time goal, I wonder if slowing down and stopping to smell the roses (literally, Rebecca E. stopped and made me smell some pink ones), is the best way to go.

To bad I have too much of a competitive spirit!

This weekend was a whirlwind. I'll just whiz through the early details so I can get to the super-fun stuff. Woke up at 5 a.m. Saturday. Headed to downtown Columbus to see the MITers off for the Capital City Half Marathon. Had a blast standing on a freeway overpass for several hours ringing a cowbell, jumping up and down and yelling at the many, many members of my running groups competing. The incredibly awesome Sara W. cheered with me. She blogs here.  

Me and Sara

Sat in a Tim Hortons sipping tea for an hour -- as quiet of a moment as I was going to get that weekend. Met up with Brandie D. and Rebecca and headed out of town. Got stuck in traffic for an hour because of an Obama rally. Finally got out of the car on I-270 to stretch our legs. Saw cars moving up ahead. Screamed. Waved our arms. Ran back to the car. Many engines behind us revved up as a result.

Ick! Traffic.

Finally made it to Cincy. Found parking. Went to expo. Spent too much money at expo. Bought some yummy dried fruit snacks and some Flying Pig gear at 50 percent off. Loaded up on free samples of laundry soap, wrinkle reliever and undereye cream. Since Mr. Obama held us up we were there as they were closing and trying to get rid of stuff.

Loot

Went to Arnold's Bar and Grill for dinner with other members of Run DMC. Got some yummy gluten free pasta with portabellas and a bottle of Woodchuck cider. Made it to the hotel by 10 and crashed almost instantly.  

Run DMC after dinner

Our alarms went off at 4:30 a.m. We dragged ourselves out of bed, got ready and walked a good mile in the dark to the starting line. When I woke up I was petrified, but as we were walking across the bridge that separates Kentucky from Ohio, we heard "Born to Run" over the loudspeakers and saw crowds of people pouring in from every direction as the sun rose. The fear was gone, now we're just excited. We dropped our bags and got in the corral.

Brandie and I, up bright and early.

I loved, loved, loved this course. I wish I had brought a camera so I could document some of the things we saw. The course was windy, curvy and hilly. Around every turn there was something new, a mascot, someone in a funny costume, cute kids cheering, zombies, drunk people, a band, a DJ, people with hoses to cool us off. The miles just flew by.

More pictures from the Flying Pig

More photos from the weekend:

My updated wall of accomplishments

A flying pig, duh!

My dinner

Photos from Cleveland and the MIT celebration!

We are now five days past the marathon and I am mostly recovered. I still feel a little shakiness in the knees. I still feel a little stiffness getting up and sitting down. And most of all I have just been tired.

But more importantly, I have pictures! These are both the Brightroom proofs of the official race pics, and also photos of the wonderful 10:30 gathering on Wednesday at Champps in Columbus.

First the official race photos. Hands down my favorite, I know it was taken during the last .2 miles because I took my earbuds out at the 26th mile marker.

And a nice, blurry procession of me finishing:

 

 

MIT Team 10:30 met at Champps on Wednesday to celebrate all of our races! What an amazing group of people and set of accomplishments! I felt naked with only one medal!

This is Coach Randy, me and Kim. Randy ran the Gettysburg North-South Marathon and Kim ran Cap City.

Sarah, who ran the Pittsburgh full and Katie, who ran the Flying Pig and Cap City halves.

Me, Sarah and Kim.

And speaking of medals, Michelle K. from our pace team pointed out a typo on the medal! The Rite Aid logo says 2010 marathon! It's ok, it still says 2011 in large, funky, psychedelic type!

And, for no reason whatsoever, this is the cat that has taken up residence outside my apartment window. I think it gets great pleasure from torturing my dogs.

Marathon coverage from the Plain Dealer

Plain Dealer photo of everyone running down the Shoreway.

This morning, stairs are the enemy. Yesterday was phenomenal, though. See my race report here, my music report here, my expo loot here, and my race plan here.

And here's some coverage from the Plain Dealer:

An excellent piece about the growth of the marathon, and racing in general:

Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon Running so hot, race is running out of spots

"From his vantage point on the West Coast, Lamppa said Cleveland's recent creation and promotion of an "Experience" also are not to be underestimated. Just as the "Flying Pig" image pays off at the Cincinnati Marathon, so is Cleveland's hippie theme working wonders.

"There's something about that funky, psychedelic look that I personally am drawn towards," he said. Cleveland's found a way to brand its event, and that matters."

Coverage of the event itself

Rain, wind and cold fails to dampen enthusiasm at 34th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon


"What looked like an opaque wall of early morning mist stood between 19,000 runners Sunday morning and a successful 34th running of the Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon.

The mist didn't stand a chance..."

I love reading the stories about why people participate: 

A cool morning on the lakefront brings plenty of great stories

"The 34th annual Rite Aid Cleveland Marathon brought nearly 19,000 runners and walkers downtown. Thousands more lined the streets to cheer for them. It's a big event, but one comprised of so many little stories..."

Their photo gallery is here. I can't wait to see the official race photos!!

They also have this video of the race starting. It's about 1 minute long. It took me 7 minutes to reach the start line. I was in the middle of the pack. 

I requested today off, so I'm being lazy. My quads hurt the most. Going to use the foam roller and walk the dogs later to work out the lactic acid, and head back to Newark tonight.