TO: #7667 FROM: Jen Re: The Shamrock Run

[Guest guest]

You did GREAT #7667! I am so PROUD of you and you should be of yourself. This really makes me want to walk on my treadmill...I would rather walk outside but it's still too icky here in Michigan. I wish I could run in a race but alas I'm stuck to running only during a volleyball game...oh well. I'm glad you had a good time and were inspired by the other runners. I hope that you won't have any DOMS or they won't be too bad. Let me/us know when your next race will be, Jen Pink Pussycat wrote: Today I am not , but number 7667, as I participated in my very first race at 8:05 this morning, the Shamrock Run! I went by myself, and I’m glad that I did because I was really able to take in the entire scene and to feel the energy of the group that way. I was near tears both at

the beginning and the end of the run; second only to my Turbo Kick certification, this is the most empowering and emotive athletic event I’ve ever experienced and I am officially hooked. I picked up my registration packet yesterday at Lincoln High School, which is where the excitement started to bubble up. Being amidst other people who value heath, fitness and exercise is very motivating. First you get your packet, which contains your number, timing chip, and vouchers for your shirt, clam chowder and beer/beverage. I’m a straight edge vegan and gave away the drink ticket, and the funny thing was I had a hard time giving away the clam chowder ticket. The first guy I tried to give the tickets to after the race was a non-drinking vegan like me! The next guy was vegetarian and didn’t eat fish. Oh well, I tried! And getting rid of the beer ticket wasn’t easy either, took

three tries, and the guy who finally took it had a whole handful of them, so apparently a lot of folks were giving them away. They were out of small shirts, which made me chuckle because that’s what always happens at Xpedtion, our aerobics instructor training weekends. I’m quite busty and am far from fitting into a small. I took the large, but it wound up being too big, even after I washed it in hot and threw it in the dryer. I set my alarm for 5:00 but slept like shit and didn’t get out of bed til 5:45 at the insistence of my cat, Rowan, who was starting to demand breakfast. Several head butts later I got out of bed, safety pinned my number to my shirt, and drank 32 oz of water with Emergen-C. Next I drank a good 20 oz of coffee, and grabbed a packet of Gu to put something in my tummy

without making me full or giving me a side ache. At the bus stop were two other Shamrock runners, and they said that by the time they went to registration they were completely out of shirts, so I’m very grateful to even have a shirt at all (actually it will be perfect for a hip hop class as it’s long and baggy, just like my bro’s in da hood). I arrived at my office downtown at around 7:10 so I could drop my stuff off and check email. At 7:30 I made my way to Oak and Naito Parkway, where everyone was gathered. Wow, what a crowd! I was overcome with emotion at that point. There were all kinds of creative, green St. ’s Day costumes and everyone was cheerful and smiling, and it was

infectious. I couldn’t stop smiling myself! The first race was the Leprechaun Leap for the kids – oh they were so adorable! There were people holding signs, one said "6-7 Minutes". I was thinking, "Yay, the 5K, my race, starts in seven minutes!" DUH!!! I soon figured out that that was for the folks that run a 6-7 minute mile!! I humbly walked back a couple of signs to the 9-10 minute mile. At the risk of bragging here, I really should have ran with the 8-9 minute mile section, because I passed up a lot of people in my group, and was frustrated at times at how slow the people bogging up the path in front of me were. I was surprised at how many really fit looking people I passed, people

that looked way more fit than me. There were over 5,000 runners in the 5K alone. Now the upswing of this is that no one was taking this too seriously, so it didn’t feel competitive at all. People were there to have a good time and be a part of something, like me. I did want to clock in a good time, however, and I know already that the time they will give me will not be an accurate portrayal of what my time really is. I was also surprised at how easy going up the Broadway hill was! I had walked this route during my lunch hour last week and quite honestly, walking this hill is tougher than running it. This is the part of the race where I learned something valuable about myself – 1) that I really do feed off other people’s energy like a drug and that outweighs any incorrectly

perceived physical limitations of my abilities that I may have, and 2) I’m much faster and better than I think I am. Two especially fun moments: in the first mile of the race by the park just off Burnside and Park where they feed the homeless people, we were cheered on and applauded by a group of street people. That was so sweet! They were getting caught up in the city’s event too. The other touching moment was after the race walking back to the office a woman on the street dressed in St. Paddy’s attire asked me how I did and said congratulations. After I turned in my chip (the one that times you that you strap around your ankle) I skipped the festivities, and here I sit back at the office. I can only

take large crowds for so long. The metatarsals in my right foot are angry with me at the moment, so I will stay off my feet this week until Saturday when I teach Turbo Kick at the gym. Cardio this week will be cycling and I’ll do yoga a few times to stretch everything out and work on strength and balance. I will resume running after work the week of the 24th. My knees and shins feel totally fine. So now I’m addicted and can’t wait to do another run! Next time I will opt for an 8K or 10K instead of a 5K if it’s offered. I could have easily ran another two miles today, and will up my training to make sure that happens. Another really wonderful thing about running in these events is that the profits go to a

charity. The Shamrock Run benefited the Doernbecher Childrens Hospital. This by far has been my favorite St. Paddy’s Day ever! What a FANTASTIC way to spend my second favorite holiday of the year! Moreover, I get to spend quality time with my Dad today and am taking him to breakfast. Love, # 7667