Kari and Damie Take Nola Part 1

A couple of months ago, Kari Mayhew had this brilliant idea that we should meet for a race...perhaps a half marathon or such. We decided on a low key half marathon in Baton Rouge. With New Orleans right down the street, we could stay with family and then enjoy some good times in the Big Easy.

Sidenote: Kari and I have only met in person x 1 at AGNats 2010. Is it weird to become real friends with your internet friends? I wondered if it would be awkward to race and hang out all weekend in person. Nope....it is like hanging out with my twin.
Now, we had plenty of notice to train for this. I really wanted to have some awesome racing this fall after spending a year working on my long distance fitness. I have no excuses- I just dropped the ball. Work and family encroached on my training time, and that is not a bad thing. I have gained weight, and learning how to balance fitness, healthy eating, and my life is all part of my athletic development. I have come along way, but I am not perfect.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to hear that Kari wasn't ready to knock one out of the park either, as she has had her own training hold-ups. Yea!!! No pressure!!!! The weekend became less about the race and more about our Louisiana adventures.
We stayed with family friends in Baton Rouge, and they cooked us a delicious shrimp creole dinner the night before the race. Cheers!

We lined up for the race with no expectations and no need to set a pace early on. We decided to run together as long as our fitness or desire would allow, but do our own thing as we needed to do. Kari is a much, much faster runner than I, so racing together in a normal race was not realistic. Our first mile was a 7:59, and we were just going with the flow and trying to figure out what we wanted to get out of the run. Between miles 2-5, I noticed I was holding around a 7:35 pace pretty comfortably and decided to just go with it and see what happened. Kari was enjoying the one and only other Steelers fan on the course and just decided to take it easy for the day. Honoring our bodies was a top priority, and I think we both made good decisions.

I ended up with a PR for the day at 1:38:30, which is way better than I deserve for the time I dedicated to this race. More importantly, I enjoyed the company and the scenery. Distance running, which I have always loved, is slowly becoming something that my body can support as opposed to something that used to break me down.

Somewhere in our planning, we decided to make some T-shirts that would support Julia and Rich as they kick cancer in the butt. (Julia and Rich have been on my mind frequently with lots of positive thoughts and prayers). Kari made our race day outfits, with a few surprises.

Hot pink twinkies....CANCER SUCKS

A heart on the front with a J + R for Julia and Rich

Kari surprised me with some Who Dat on the back of my shirt while she donned the Steelers symbol.

We finished up the morning with a post-race daiquiri...always a good recover drink at 10:00am.

Kari was forced to spend the rest of Saturday in LSU territory. Following a good lunch at Martinique Bistro on Magazine Street, we watched the LSU game at a friend's home. By the end of the night, Kari and I were pretty tired....racing + partying is tough. We had to rest up for our big NFL Sunday.
Part 2 will follow soon!