You just can’t believe how awesome that was!

Workout: 12 mile long run

Today was the Indy Mini Marathon (Half) in Indianapolis. I’ve had this race in my sights for almost 6 months, really since May of last year. You just can’t even believe how much fun it was. There were 35000 runners, elephants, bands bands bands, cheerleaders, beer, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and so much more! It was out of control!

So my tale really started last night. Dad & I drove down to Indy and checked into our hotel and then headed right over to the expo. It was packed with people and vendors and they even had a main stage with experts talking about raining and race strategy. We only stayed for a little while and then head for dinner. The really odd thing about the night was that it was obviously high school prom weekend. There were HS kids all over the place in tuxes and prom dress along with tons of runners in tennis shoes and jeans or running pants. It was quite the dynamic. So cool.

This morning we woke up early and headed to the start at about 7:00am. I had run a couple of qualifying races earlier in the year which gave me a preferred starting corral. This was huge. I started in corral “C” at the front, the last corral “Z” was 8 blocks behind me. It was so much fun walking up to my corral past all those thousand of runners who hadn’t qualified, I was getting such a high. I’ve heard the traffic on the course can be in a problem but I think starting in the front really helped. There were a ton of people, but I never felt claustrophobic in the least. In fact when the race started I noticed the crowd pulling away from me a bit. Obviously I had somehow found myself in with the seriously fast runners.

I was so ill prepared for what to expect on the course. I knew there would be a lot going on but come on…..

Within the first half mile I saw a couple of preachers giving sermons on soap boxes, a giant elephant checking us out from the zoo, and a guy with a cello playing and singing “Play That Funky Music White Boy”, and tons of spectators cheering us on. How cool was that!

Now I was trying to keep in mind that this was just a training run and that I should pace myself at about 9:00/m but with all the excitement, and the field pulling away from me, the people who didn’t qualify working their way forward, the bands, the people, the elephant, I clocked my first mile at 8:10. Oops but no big deal right, I just needed to slow myself down. So my second mile I ran a 7:39… Dumass! OK Tom…. Focus, slow down or you’ll bonk before you even get on the track. I actually had this conversation several times… at mile 3 (7:53) at mile 4 (7:47) at mile 5 (8:06) at mile 6 (8:04).. You get the point.

The hard part, and the great part, was that there were over 40 bands on the 13.1 mile route. Literally there was a band every 4 or 5 blocks. It was incredible, but only helped to get me more geeked and run faster.

Anyway we weaved our way through some local neighborhoods, but the big prize I new was coming at bout mile 6. We turned a corner and there it was. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Awesome. I think I’ve been to over 30 races there but never made it onto the track. We turned into the track and ran through one of the tunnels. Everyone was screaming and cheering. How am I suppose to run slow through this? Anyway we came out in the infield and then just a few more steps we were on the track.

The cool part is that as we were coming onto the track the elites were just finishing up their 2.5 mile lap. They had 2.5 miles between us in only about 45 minutes. Those guys are fast. So most of the runners stuck to the inside of the track. I of course dived to the outside wall. You can’t imagine what its like to running down the backstretch of the IMS. It was incredible. My face actually started to hurt because I was grinning from ear to ear. The whole track was great. On the front stretch I even stopped and kissed the yard of bricks at the start finish line. For those of you who don’t know, this is a big tradition if you win a race at Indy. Fabulous!

Anyway soon enough my lap was over and we turned off and back onto the surface streets. This was about mile 9 and I could definitely feel a let down. Not too bad, but I definitely felt tired. But then I saw it… I had heard rumors, but didn’t think it was actually there… A BEER STOP! Out in front of the roughest biker bar you have ever seen, with bald headed tattooed bikers out front, they were handing out beer. This of course I could not pass up. So I grabbed a small cup, gave them a thanks and headed on my way. It was such and interesting site. These tough red-neck bikers and toothless wombats handing out beer and supporting the runners. How cool is that!

Anyway the last miles were a blur, not from the beer. I was just really enjoying myself, and although I was tired and was really having fun. More bands, more cheerleaders, no more beer.

The problem came at mile 11 when I realized if I could average 7:45’s the last two miles I would guarantee myself another preferred start next year. I kept saying that this was crazy, don’t hurt yourself, this is just training run. Mile 12 (8:00), Mile 13 (7:16)… So sue me!

All in all an awesome race. I mean really fun. I remember thinking at one point I should just sign all my friends up to run this next year and force them to train. If it’s not on your list, put it on.

Simply Outrageous. Absolutely without a question the most face, and the most run fun of my short career!

13.1 miles/1:44:48/avg 8:00