Race day finally arrives ...

Finally, after three weeks of hard training, blood, sweat and beers, it's race day!!!!! Leading up to the race, the weather has not been very cooperative. Its been rainy and cool outside all week. As a result, there were no last minute efforts to finish my preparation. Tuesday was the last time I actually excercised (unless I am allowed to count 12 ounce curls?).

I was a good boy last night; shrimp and cajun rice for dinner and water to drink all night. Lil Bit was equally good too; shrimp dinner and tea. I was really proud of her laying off the beers!!!!

For those that missed the last blog, I had to put my foot down and tell Big E that she could not run the race. She has been sick for going on two weeks, and she has been progressively worse this week. So, in her place, I recruited Lil Bit to run the race with me. Thankfully, I gave her the one day advance notice that she requires to be able to run a 5K.

To be honest, I felt like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus as I went to bed. I must have taken at least two hours before I finally went to sleep. I wasnt nervous more like anxious. I kept trying to picture myself running the race, and powering through those moments of weakness when I didnt feel capable of running any longer. I wish you could have seen the style, the grace and the beauty of my stride as I crossed the finish line at the 22:00 minute mark, in my dreams.

As I awoke this morning, I realized that it was cold and damp outside quite the opposite of the initial weekend weather report. After a LLLLLLOOOOOONNNNGGGGG hot shower, I began the process of preparing my body for the race. My pre-race checklist went a little like this:

Socks (Extra Thick)
Pants (These are important when going out in public)
T-shirt (Layer 1)
Long sleeve running shirt (Layer 2)
Tshirt over the running shirt (Layer 3)
Knee braces Shoes Hat Heating pad for the back (Thank goodnees for these stick on wonders) Zip up hoodie (Layer 4)
MP3 Player (Something to distract the mind from the bodies pain)
Redman (Nicotine gets the body going)
Orange Juice (The body needed a little fuel)

Check!!!!!!! I was ready to go.

Lil Bit had a slightly different routine. Find some pants, grab a warm sweat shirt, eat some cereal, ready to go.

At 7:30 AM we left the house and headed for our destination (Huntingdon College). Once we arrived, we got registered and told the officials about our change in personnel.

As I mentioned, several people from work signed up to run the race with us.

From left to right are Hunter, Jessica and John (they completed a half marathon earlier this month), Scott, Fat Boy (me) and Lil Bit. You can tell that this is a pre-race picture by the smiles on everyones face. Also notice that three of us are not as smart as the rest (umm ... can you say shorts?).

Right before the race, I leaned over and told Lil Bit that she needed to run her race, I wanted her to know that it was OK if she left me or vice-versa. Speaking of right before the race, the song playing right before the race started was "Lucky 13".

Finally, at 8:30 we were off.

For the first half a mile, the pack was pretty tight as we wound our way on the small streets of the campus. Actually, I didnt like the pace that we are traveling and I quickly realized that there was no way for me to keep it. Thankfully, as we left the campus and entered the neighborhood, the pack began to thin out and I no longer felt the pressure to try and keep up.

Of course, this meant that we were quickly falling behind. By "we", I mean me and the pack of Redman that I brought along for the run. At the half mile point, I was slightly behind Hunter and Lil Bit but I could no longer see John, Jessica or Scott.

Around the one and half mile point, I was resigned to being the last place person of our group. I could no longer see Hunter or Lil Bit, but I was zoned in on my music and my two new running partners. It was about this same time that "Domestic, Cold and Light" began to play on the MP3 player (a song about Beer). Almost like motivation, I managed to pick up my pace, stretched out my hand for a cold cup of water at the water station, and decided that I was going to catch up to the rest of the gang.

At the two mile point, I heard someone holler 23:05 at me. My response was "wow, Im doing awesome". Now, I was being serious, but I bet that guy was laughing at me considering most of the people in the race were well ahead of me. Also, it was at this point that I realized I wasnt going to catch anyone in our group.

Not long after the two mile point, my body finally reached the point where it was no longer sending pain signals to my brain. Oh, I was still hurting, but I think the brain decided that since I was ignoring the signals it would quite sending them. I dont remember much about the last mile. One of my running partners passed me right before the final hill, but he seemed to stall out half way up it, leaving the door open for me to pass him. I was determined that I would not finish last. My other partner, she left me and the short round guy in our dust for the last mile.

A little quick math told me that based on my two mile time, I actually stood a chance at beating Big Es time from last year, and so it began. The race within the race. By this point, it was a no brainer that I would finish; heck, I could have crawled the last half mile.

I turned on the after burners (yeah right) and decided (as the crowd was faintly visible) that I was going to finish this race running. As I crested the top of the hill I was greeted by Scott, John and Jessica all encouraging me to "gut it out" to the finish. I faintly remember someone suggesting that it was time for me to "kick it in". I probably told them what they could do with the "kick it in", i dont remember!!!!

I do remember the feeling that I was going to puke. I hate to puke but I wanted to after that race. I had completed the race though and I wasnt last. Even better, I had bettered Big Es time from last year, with my 36:10 time. For proof, check out the "Fun picture of the moment", that is me crossing the line at 36:10.

After the race, we all went to see the race winners and clap for those that did really well. And the winner for the 11 - 16 group is .... Elizabeth Lee!!!! Lil Bit busted out the race in 33:40 minutes. She got a trophy and everything. If you are trying to do the math in your head, that is 2:30 minutes quicker than me. More importantly, she beat all of other 11 - 16 people. Zero training, first prize, where do I sign her up for money races?????

Also, in our group, third place for the 25 to 30 year old men ... John!!! His time was 26:06!!! Two winners in our group. That is awesome. The other runners all completed the race somewhere between John and Lil Bit, and they should be proud of their times too.

After the race, we all went to a local bakery for breakfast:

Pancakes

Biscuits

Fruit

Sausage (YUMMMMMMMMMM)

Bacon (YUUUMMMMIIIIEEEERRRRRR)

Eggs

Tea

We had a great breakfast and told stories about our trips around the course. I really enjoyed that part the most. I look forward to doing this again soon. Apparently there is another race coming up in a month or so, but the one that I really want to tackle next is an 8K (nearly 5 miles) run in May. They tell me this run is through downtown and includes the monsterous hill that leads into downtown. I guess it'll be OK if I walk that part of the race.

In the meantime, Im planning on drinking some beer and grilling a big fat T-Bone tonight. The gang is coming over later this afternoon for an evening of playing the Wii, watching some basketball, and grilling red meat. I cant wait.

I need a shower. I hope you enjoyed the story. Until next time, have an awesome weekend.

Also, if you get a chance, Google "Auburn Elvis" or click the link and read about some of his adventures. Damon and Big E are cousins. I cant believe that I've forgotten to share his website until now.

Random Thoughts of Nothingness ...

I hope everyone is having an exciting week. As for the Lee house, it seems like one of those weeks when everything is slightly off kilter. Rather than boring you with the details, lets jump into some random thoughts for the week....


1. Brooke casually strolls into the house yesterday and announces that she ran a 9:30 minute mile at track practice yesterday. 9:30 minutes? I cant do that in my dreams much less for real. Hopefully this is a good sign that someone on that track team is working with the JV team.


2. Jessica's Valentines date must have gone pretty good. The young man treated her to dinner at his house (his grandmother's house). She said that he spread rose petals on the table and served ..... McDonalds!!!! Ah to be young again. Afterwards, they went to see a movie.


3. Big E and I didnt get to have a Valentine's date of our own, but we did get to have a wonderful evening without the girls. We don't have any details to share except to say that we ate an early dinner at Jim N Nicks that night and watched movies at the house the rest of the night. By the way, the horror movie that I bought her for Valentines Day was a good one ("The V Word" is part of the Master of Horrors series from Showtime). OK guys, you can be jealous that I can get away with a horror movie for Valentines Day.


4. Have you ever noticed the "Next Blog" , try it.

5. I friend of mine, Jarrad Glover, and his band completed the recording of their first album this week. I've mentioned the Honky Tonk Hustlas in previous posts. They play a cool blend of old school honky tonk country with a modern bad attitude. If you visit their Myspace page, Jarrad is the ugly one playing the stand up page.

So, this Saturday is the big day. I think the race starts at 8:30. I told Big E that she will not be allowed to participate in the race due to her cold. In her place, I have recruited Lil Bit to run the race. Regrettfully, Lil Bit will have zero training time, but she will probably whoop me anyway.

We will have pictures from Saturday. I will share those next time. In the meantime, remember the people of Prattville Alabama. Its been a long hard week for them. Thankfully, none of our friends or co-workers lost anything or suffered any damage.

Happy Valentines Day

To all the ladies ... Happy Valentines Day!!!! In case you are wondering, I do buy cards and such for all my girls. As for me, I received a card with a giant gorilla taking a poo on the inside of the card. I will leave the explanation of the card to your imagination ....

Jessica has a big Valentine date tonight; dinner and a movie. We'll find out later how it turned out. If something of interest occurs, I will send out another post later. Hopefully, Big E and I will get to have a big night out this weekend. If we do, I probably wont give you a report on that date (hey now!).

Now, on to the big event in nine days .....

We have had a lot of our co-workers sign up for the big event. Im a little nervous about all of these young people jumping into the race. I hope that they all understand, I will not take any prisoners. Somehow, someway, by hook or crook, someone will finish that race after me. I will not be last!!!!!!!!!

The preparation is going fairly well. I have had a little foot injury, but nothing that I cant work through. I probably should own up to the squeeky knees and discomfort in my lower back. The good news is that none of this has slowed me down. Of course, if you read the previous post, I cant get much slower short of stopping. It doesnt matter, its not a race anyway.

I still have nine days to finish my preparation. Ya'll pray for me and Elizabeth, we are going to need it.

It was a little windy out there today ...

Two of our geniuses got up and went for a run this afternoon after school. I am proud of them for recognizing my great example and leadership (training for the 5K) and getting out there without any prodding. However, I hope that they remember to take a house key with them in the future.

Now on to the training update ...

As I casually mentioned in the last post, Big E and I will be participating in a 5K run on the 23rd of February. After completing that post, I realized that I only had twenty days to prepare my mind and body for this challenge. So, I decided that I needed to get started. If you are going to jump in, you might as well jump in feet first.

Sunday, I decided to take on the whole course right out to the gate. In my retarded way of thinking, I figured I might as well "baseline" my time to complete the 3.1 miles. Besides, Big E was not happy with me and I figured it would get me out of the house for a few minutes. Fifty-five minutes later, I returned home.

Again, this was my first time out the gate and I completed it!!!! The pace could be beaten by your average six year old, but I completed it and I didn't die.

Monday, I felt I belonged at the Arthritist Foundation, but I figured I would power through it with at least a half distance walk. Thank goodness I did, as I feel much better today.

Since I was feeling a little better today, I figured I better get out there and give it another go today. The wind was starting to pick up a little as I left the house and the clouds started to roll in but I figured I was safe for the effort. I went through my checklist

MP3 player ... check!
new tight running shirt ... check!
hat ... check!
Redman ... check!
pride, ambition, and desire to get better ... check!
Stretched muscles ... overrated!

and off I went!

Somewhere around the half mile point, I decided I was ready to turn it up a notch and RUN!! Around the mile point, I figured I would try it again. It went a little better even though I was running into the wind. Since I didn't feel the need to puke, I decided to throw in small bursts of running sporadically into the walk.

Around the two and half mile point, I kicked it in bringing back the memories of more youthful days when I could round the bases quicker than a hiccup. Feeling great, I fixed my eyes on a still object and tried to gauge my speed. Smiling, I felt my chest poked out an inch further and with my head held high as if I was finishing in first place, I saw a plastic bag pass me and continue to out pace me for another twenty to thirty yards. Deflated, I returned home.

It was a little windy out there today ... despite what the weather man might tell.

That probably won't be the last or funniest story about my "training" but I promise to bring each one to you.

Hook, Line and Sinker ...

Last time I concluded with "we might even have a little exciting news coming soon too!". I really didn't have any particular news in mind, but I figured that simple statement might stir up a bit of fun. Actually, that statement was meant specifically for my favorite mother-in-law. I figured if anybody would take the bait, it would be her.

Now, you can probably guess what my mother-in-law was thinking ... could the little sounds of a new baby be invading the Lee house!?! Obviously, Elizabeth was able to quickly squash that thought without much help from me, but that got her interested too.

At 10:00 AM the next morning, Elizabeth appeared at my desk (with phone attached to her ear) at work wanting to know about the big news. Since I hadn't told Big E about the post, she didn't know about the it either. Of course, I was laughing too hard to explain anything to her, but she figured it out without me saying a word.

What a hoot!

News about the girls is a little slow coming of late. There really isn't a lot to share:

1. Since Jessica took the ACT, she gets more mail than we do. I recently attended a financial aide program being presented by Huntingdon College. That was an eye opening experience. Looks like its time to start visiting campuses. For her part, we are hoping that she can improve her test score by at least 4 points and bring up her grades. Big E isnt a planner / orgnaizer kind a person at home, but she and I are going to have to dig in to the college costs and experience soon. Also, Jessica has her junior trip coming up in April. They are going to Boston and New York this year. I'm sure that will be a lot of fun.

2. Lil Bit keeps chugging along in school. This year she is taking her first AP class and one extra class to boot. I believe the game plan is to take four more AP classes (two per year) before graduating high school. I don't know how she does it. Speaking of trips, she is away this weekend on a youth trip.

3. Brook starts track this week. We are hoping that she takes a more active role with the team this year and really pours her energy into the races. She really has the potential but lacks a little of the drive. I hope that they can find a way to inspire her to give 100%.

Speaking of inspiration, Big E and I will be running (maybe walking) our first 5K for the year later this month. Big E ran several of these last year, while I watched from the sidelines. This year she has decided that I will be participating also. I would like to say that I am looking forward to it, but I'm not. We drove a course through the neighborhood last night to give me an idea of 5K (3.1 miles) and I was tired after driving it. I don't know how I am going to run / walk it. As a smart person once told me, one step at a time!!!

Its official, Big E and I will be celebrating our fifth anniversary at Disney World in Orlando. After considering the all-inclusive options offered by many of the islands resorts, taking a cruise, and Las Vegas, we finally settled on a trip back to Disney World.

We took the girls to Disney a few years ago and had a really good time. My sister was kind enough to allow us to stay with her for that trip. This time we are staying at one of the resorts at Disney and we are NOT taking the kids. The whole process to book our trip, book our dinner times, etc. has really been a lot of fun (for me, Elizabeth thinks it is stupid to book our dinner this far in advance). I'm sure we will have a great time and by that time we should be in better condition to handle all of the walking.

If anything, that is the big news (wink wink).

I hope the first month of 2008 was good for everyone. Its hard to believe that we are already in February.

Stephen