Cheryl Completes The Indy Monumental Marathon!

That is correct!  This weekend was Marathon Weekend!  Why have I not hinted at it until now?  Well, the very prospect of us actually being able to pull it off seemed almost impossible!  I had to get Subie fixed last week.   I had to purchase my new glasses and that left very little money in the bank account.  Luckily, I got paid on Friday!  Cheryl had her own hang ups and issues from Time  and Car woes, and of course... Money!  

But we pulled it off!   Just arriving at the start line seemed Monumental to me. (Pun intended!)  And with all the other things going on,  the possibility of Cheryl pulling out another Personal Record for a Marathon distance seemed equally as unlikely...  Could lightning strike twice?

I'll skip all the useless drama and simply say, "No."  Cheryl did not set a new PR yesterday.   Nor did she get any age group award.. or even break the 3:30 time for a full marathon.  (3:31:56!   Was she even trying???)

And best of all... I have no pictures of her during the race.  

#1 Fail to take pics at a Marathon!

So that means...  There is no record of her "terrible" performance.  The Japanese proverb says: "Humiliation requires an Audience."   So my mishandling of the photo record allows Cheryl to spin what ever story she wants for this marathon...  So instead of an incompetent camera man....  I'm actually a Hero!  

The weather was not ideal for a high performance Marathon.  65 degrees with high winds and rain.  And it did rain.   Just enough to make you uncomfortable, but not  a downpour.  

The winds were nearly 40 mph!  At one point, the wind stopped me in my tracks!  I could only imagine running against such an invisible wall would be demoralizing.  

Cheryl admitted her training was less than ideal.  But that is very subjective.  I remember a time when she would have KILLED for anything under 3:40!  Now anything over 3:30 makes her depressed.  At least the guy printing out times mentioned that her time and pace were insane and that he could never run that fast.  A little outside perspective is always helpful to bring you back to Earth.  

So that is Cheryl's story...  But what about me?  The "Hero" of this Tale?   

Well,   Travel time to Indianapolis was far easier than it was to Fort Ben.   And navigating the city was fairly easy the second go around.  We found parking and I had downloaded the App and map so I could follow her and get some great shots  at various places.   With the warmer weather, I was bound to not be hindered by the cold this time. 

However,  my camera's battery life is ridiculous!   And before hardly any time,  my camera was acting up.   Add in that it is old and fussy.  It  takes forever to focus... if at all!   It froze up around mile 2.5 and I could not take any pics.   In frustration, I tried to close all apps and instead brought up and locked the "assistant" button.  If you have ever used the Google Assistant app,  you will know that she is anything BUT an assistant.  Instead, she is an annoying voice telling everyone what you are doing on your phone.  With long overly complicated sentences.  " App button, pushed!  Double tap for App to engage. App button pushed! Double tap to close app.  App button pushed, App button pushed. App button pushed. App button pushed. App closed. Double tap and hold bring app back up. "  And on and on and on!  (I'll skip the long "You pushed this app and it is for this purpose" statements.)

So while she was draining my battery with her yap,  I had to go back to the car several times to recharge the phone and try to unlock the app assistant.   Hint:  Two fingers  ( not one!) on screen swipes up the phone, allowing me to finally SEE the app assistant feature and shut her down.   Good to know if this disaster ever happens again!

In the mean time,  The "App Assistant" would not let me take any pictures while she was "in charge."   ( Pun intended!)  And before you say "Then SHE was the real hero!"  I will note that she is not a living, breathing person... Just an AI used to piss regular humans off and prevent them from doing their jobs.  Which, in my case, was to take pictures.

So as Cheryl raced towards the finish line, I thought I was snapping pictures of her, but instead got the App assistant telling me that the Volume control on my phone was maxed!   Pure Evil!

But Cheryl finished the race.   With a VERY GOOD TIME!  Despite what she will tell you. not a PR, but not as crushing as maybe an injured race might have been. So..  Yeah!  

By the way,  we should look at the good things:  It rained, but not hard.  It was not a hypothermic race.  We both arrived safe and sound and in a timely manner with no incidents.  She was able to run the race!  No injuries, no lack of funds, no car repairs or car issues.  We were able to stay an extra day and recover after running such a distance.  And  most importantly:   Cheryl was able to complete her 10th Marathon!  With a pretty good time!  I'm sure completing 10 marathons for most people would be Monumental  without the fast times!  ( pun intended)  So... Mission complete.

And now we can pack up and go home.  Cheryl got the extra medal for doing the two Indy Races  ( Ft Ben Half and the Monumental Full Marathon.) And she discovered that outside factors  that you have no control over can effect the race performance.   So getting a new PR would take a little more luck instead of just purely physical training.    With 10 Marathons under her belt,  she now qualifies for entry into the "50 States Marathon Club."  Which is just a snobby runner's ability to brag to others about.   Perfect for Cheryl. 

Thanks for stopping in.   Marathons!  The Holy Grail of physical achievement have now become almost routine.  What else is there to blog about, unless there are no pictures.  To be able to run a Marathon with a 3:30 time and simply shrug must be nice.  It downplays the Monumental achievement of running such a distance.   ( pun intended) And the desire to race in distant cities and places with thousands of total strangers.  And the efforts required to make such things happen.  Both in time and money!    Good thing there will be no record of this "humiliating" Marathon performance.....