I used to be a halfway decent distance athlete.
Back in 2005, I ran a personal best time of 3 hours, 31 minutes in the Chicago Marathon (see the photo above). Between 2004 and 2006, I was all about the marathons, completing races in Philadelphia (with my brothers Seth and Gabriel), Chicago (twice -- once with Gabriel), and New York City. I also finished in the Top 500 in the Crescent City Classic 10K in New Orleans in 2005 and 2006. I even somehow managed to finish two Half-Ironman (70.3 mile) triathlons on Long Island (Mighty Man Montauk) and New Hampshire (Timberman) in 2006.
But then Storyville happened. Because of the long hours demanded by working in a brick and mortar retail business and running the accompanying website, my training fell off to a point of non-existence. And I picked up some pretty bad dietary habits (Raising Cane's in Baton Rouge, Player's in Austin).
In February 2007, I attempted the Mardi Gras Marathon in New Orleans, but I was completely out of shape and pulled out somewhere around mile eighteen. Gabriel was smart enough to opt for the half-marathon, which he easily completed.
In February 2008, Gabriel and I did the Austin Marathon with very little training and it was ugly (lots of hills -- no one told us about that). We finished the race, but we had to walk/run the last few miles.
So now it's time to get back into training shape. My sister Elizabeth and sister-in-law Katie are regularly seen running the LSU lakes. Storyville-sponsored athletes Joey Dembrun and Melissa O'Brien are competing in events left and right. And I need to get my mojo back too. I want to be a Storyville Athlete.
So here's my plan -- finish the Austin Marathon on February 15, 2009, without stopping. Then, on April 11, I am going to see if I can finish in the Top 500 in the Crescent City Classic in New Orleans (I may even try to race Joey Dembrun). Finally, I am going to try to run a personal best marathon time -- 3 hours, 30 minutes -- in a marathon about a month or two before I get married in October.
My fiancée Natalie Naquin may also attempt her first half-marathon on that same day. Our search for a fun marathon and half marathon sometime between July and early October has only begun. So far, the leading candidate is Montreal, but we're still doing our homework.
Anyway, wish me luck. And if you'd like to be a Storyville Athlete, shoot me an e-mail and we might be able to hook you up with a Storyville Athletics track shirt to wear during your next event and represent Storyville. Personally, I think you would be a terrific Storyville Athlete.
Nobody told me about the Austin hills my first time, either - in fact, everybody watching the race made every hill seem like the last hill.
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Chris Trew said at 9:18PM on December 10, 2008
Nobody told me about the Austin hills my first time, either - in fact, everybody watching the race made every hill seem like the last hill.