The CMM Clusterf*ck and how it involved me...

My first marathon was the Country Music Marathon back in 2007. It was a fun race. But since that time... I've ran many other marathons and have decided that if I HAD to I would run CMM again, but I wouldnt willfully sign up for and train for it again. For one... I run those damn streets everyday. And two.. it's hilly and the weather is quite unpredictable in April. Basically... I might run it one day as a safety (meaning if I planned running a race before it and it was a total debacle, then I'd run CMM as a back-up).

So far... I've been happy. Last year's CMM was a death march in scorching 80+ degree temperatures and this year the threat of tornados turned the whole race (the marathon part) into a huge mess. Basically, if you weren't going to finish the marathon by a certain time... (under 4, or so, I think?) They diverted all the Marathon runners at various points along the course (some made it to 20.5, some to 22.5, I think??) to an early finish.

So, hooray! You've trained for months and you paid $120 for an ugly tech tee and a 20.5 mile race! Congrats and enjoy that medal that makes you a liar by saying 26.2 on it! Ugh. Awful, right?

As I was on my way to Monterey to pick up my race packet for Big Sur, I anxiously awaited a phone call from my best pal, April to find out how she had done in the CMM.

The call came and it wasn't good. She was one of the ones diverted. She was surprisingly less pissed than I would have been, but I immediately said to her... "well... Cincinnati's Flying Pig is next weekend... if you wanna run it, depending on me surviving Big Sur tomorrow, I'll go up there with you and run it, too!"

She was game.

So when I finished Big Sur on Sunday, I gave her a call and the go ahead... 

2 marathons in one week? No biggie, right? Hell, I did 2 in 2 days last summer! And these 2 races were at sea level and not quite as hilly! Maybe I could PR at Flying Pig, right???!!!???!!

I was psyched...

to be continued...