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April 15, 2006
Saying Stupid Things to Famous People
Rarely does a little country bumpkin like me have the opportunity to interact with famous runners. When given the brief opportunity to do so at today's race, I took my one chance and said something stupid!
My reactions upon seeing her:
Hey, that's ________ ________!
Oh gawd, I'm going to get absolutely schooled by her in this race!
Wow, she's talking to me?!
Oh, I just said the stupidest thing!
I will save the embarassment of describing the interaction in full detail, that's enough for now!
There were 2 races being held, a 5k and an 11k. I had planned to do the 5k originally, but thought momentarily about entering the 11k instead once I got there, just because the course looked hard and fun and beautiful. I ended up registering for the 5k in the end, and as I went out to warm up, I started seeing several of Montana's best female runners show up, 3 of them specifically, including the famous person. All 3 of them ended up running the 11k, creating a great competition to watch. Meanwhile, the 5k field was left talentless and empty, which I the main reason for how I managed to win.
The course was very challenging, first down off of one big hill, up another, across a briefly flat area, down a big hill, up a big hill, then downhill to the finish line, making a loop. I think there was about a quarter mile stretch that was flat the entire race. It was all dirt roads, the grades were steep, the roads were rutted out, and the footing was iffy sometimes. When the gun went off, 2 men went out fast, with me and another man behind them. The gap grew between #1 and #2 and me and the man with me. He ran behind me for about half of the race, then he accelerated, and I didn't stand a chance of hanging with him. The #1 and #2 men eventually switched positions, and the man that passed me overtook them both on the last uphill to win the race. I looked back twice, but never saw another woman. At one point, I did see another man who I thought was gaining, but then he lost touch again. For the second half of the race, I was gaining slowly on the now-fading orginal #1 and #2, but didn't catch them. In other words, for the first half of the race, I was pacing some dude. For the second half of the race, I was staring at these guys' backs. I was on my own out there for the most part.
Notes:
1) Don't gawk and get all silly around famous people. Try to be normal.
2) Gut and glide better. I think I'm a decent downhill glider, but I could be better. More the issue is how I get all caught up in speed on big uphills. I need to just work hard and steady up the steeps, and not worry about the pace. A lot of extra effort to move just a little faster is not worth the lactic acid accumulation.
3) Run harder. I had much more in me, but was nervous for all the hills and that I would die. I should have opened it up earlier. I wouldn't have been able to go as hard as the eventual winner when he passed me, but perhaps I could have caught the other 2 men who finished in front of me.
4) Do more hill workouts. If I'm going to be racing in these mountains, I need to workout on hills.
5) I'm glad I decided to go race afterall.
Watching the 11k come in was almost as entertaining as running a race myself, as it was pretty awe-inspiring to see these 3 highly talented female runners. They are are predominantly trail runners, and trail runners are just built different. Their legs are like thick tree stumps, not huge by any means, but thick with muscle in relation to those of long distance road runners. Tough looking women, solid movers, flowing effortlessly with no extra movement. It was so cool to see! The three of them finished 1, 2, and 3 and then they all went off on a cooldown run together. Little did they know that this little country bumpkin would have done a second cooldown if given the opportunity for a few minutes chatting with them. I wasn't invited. :)
Posted by Meghan at April 15, 2006 5:54 PM
Comments
Ok, I know who you are talking about--Nikki Kimball. She ran a lot of races that I ran in when I lived in Vermont. More importantly, congrats on your win!
Posted by: Duncan at April 15, 2006 7:44 PM
nice work!! that's great!! i'm glad you had fun.
Posted by: Audrey at April 15, 2006 8:48 PM
Congratulations on a win!! I kind of figured out who you might be talking about. It is always so cool to see a "famous" runner up close and personal.
Blondie
Posted by: Blondie at April 16, 2006 5:48 PM
Great job! I like how you finished your entry with notes and were able to reflect on your experience!
Posted by: Caitlin at April 16, 2006 6:22 PM
Congratulations on your win!! That is great.
I know exactly how you feel about the famous runner interaction. Luckily famous runners are usually very nice and down to earth :)
Posted by: barb at April 17, 2006 9:50 AM
When I met Alan Webb, HE acted nervous around ME, that was weird. I got in a conversation with Joan Benoit once on a group training run without realizing it was her at first...we were just chatting along and then when I caught on, I freaked out and clammed up completely. Everything you can think of to say seems so trite...I mean, she is the reason I started running marathons.
I think I'd like to meet Nikki though...we could always compare notes on the care and feeding of curly red hair.
Posted by: chelle at April 19, 2006 9:34 AM