Thrive!

Do you ever feel yourself being persuaded by marketing? For example, do you ever find yourself in the shampoo aisle at Walgreens deciding between Brilliant Brunette and Garnier Fructis and going with the Brilliant Brunette because you can HEAR the commercial in your head? And you're thinking, "Yes! I MUST have this because the Brilliant Brunette is SPECIFICALLY FORMULATED to ILLUMINATE my drabby brown hair."

I know, it's ridiculous. However, I've also felt myself being affected by the ambush of the newest Kaiser-Permanente ads. The company's most recent campaign promotes general health and well-being through a series of advertisements on billboards, newpapers, magazines, and commercials. "Escape the gravitational pull of the couch," is one of my favorites. As is the broccolli newspaper ad. (See 'em all...)

So you can imagine the uplifting spirit I found today, at the Kaiser-Permanente San Francisco Half Marathon. There were no ChampoinChips, nor were there clocks at the mile markers. There wasn't an expo the day before the race nor did we receive any finisher's medal. It was no frills, just do it, bare bones running. But it was nice. That's what it's all about anyway, right?

The race started in Golden Gate Park at Stowe Lake and ran East back into The Haight around the Panhandle. The first couple of miles were a little tough. My legs were feeling kind of heavy, and I was concerned I hadn't fueled properly for the distance. But the sun was shining and it was warm and I pushed through. But it was just so crowded. So on top of feeling uneasy about my legs I was also getting kind of pissed off. I'm normally nothing but supportive of all the race participants but today some of the walkers were pissing me off. MOVE OVER! There is a STAMPEDE behind you! Apparently Runners High hadn't kicked in yet.

We rounded back into the park by Mile 3, running past the Conservatory of Flowers and the DeYoung museum. The pack was finally starting to thin, and the course began to present us with some small hills. All in all, there was a nice mix of terrain, and I tried to take advantage of the downhills whenever I could. Still, at Mile 5, my legs were just not cooperating. I guess they just didn't felt like racing today. I popped open a Gu and began to feel a bit better. I ran through Mile 5 wondering if Gu REALLY works or if it's all in my head. I'm sure it's a bit of both!

Because there were no clocks at the mile markers, race volunteers lined up whenever they could to call out times to everyone. It was a nice effort, but it was kind of hard to hear them. So when I crossed Mile 6 and heard 51:30, I thought to myself, "Holy effing crap!" Maybe I didn't hear that right. How is that time possible? Here I am, feeling like I'm running through mud, with a time that translates to about an 8:30 pace. Perhaps even a little faster because I didn't cross the Start Line right away...

I figured THAT would explain why my legs weren't cooperating. So I bargained with them. I said, "Legs, i will rub copious amounts of Ben Gay on you when we get home if you'll just PRETEND to enjoy the rest of this race. We've got an hour more to go, then I'll take you home and feed you a breakfast burrito. We'll drink coffee and read The Chronicle and watch a movie. Perhaps The Incredibles or maybe even Legally Blonde. After that you can sit on the couch and watch The Superbowl. Just keep going and start to like how it feels. Just a little. Deal?"

Bribery. It always works! The Legs continued to carry me. Right-Left-Right-Left - Leap-over-the-puddle - Right-Left-Right-Left - Watch-out-for-the-person-who-feels-like-walking-without-moving-to-the-side. Before I knew it I was running into Ocean Beach and out onto The Great Highway. Grabbing water and Gatorade I began to feel invigorated. Just looking at the Pacific Ocean has such rejuvenating effects. And of course, it was nice to welcome The Legs to the course. Racing is so much easier when The Legs are just as invested as the rest of you.

Soon enough, I was approaching Mile 10 and a volunteer with a megaphone. He yelled, "85 flat!" And part of me didn't believe him. Another part of me DID believe him, though. That part wanted to give up at that point. That part thought that 8:30 pace for 10 miles seemed like good enough for the day. But we were so close. And I could see The Beach Chalet restaurant at the foot of Golden Gate Park up ahead. The Finish Line wasn't far. Only 3 more miles! 3! NOTHING! So I promised The Legs Season Two of Arrested Development on top of a movie. And true to form, the bribery again worked. We made it through the last three miles. They weren't entirely easy, nor were they very fun. Especially considering the little hill at 12.75 miles. But eventually I saw balloons. And we - Me and The Legs - gave it all that we had to make it to the Finish Line. Crossing with a smile, and feeling pretty good.

In 1:51:05 clock time. I have to type that again because I'm kind of shocked still. 1:51:05... That's 8:29 pace! And, why that's a PR! What a great way to start the 2006 Racing Season. Bribery with The Legs and all!

And there, in the finish chute, I finally found my Runner's High. It was a little late in coming today, but better late than never. I guess you can't always find a runner's high on a run. Sometimes you find it while walking back to your car when it's over. When you figure out that you just had a PR. And you realize that you are on track to have another one in San Diego in June. And when you realize you're not as far away from qualifying for Boston as you thought you were. When you realize that ALL you have to do make it to Boston is keep that pace you ran today - that 8:29 - for another 13.1 miles. Yep, that's ALL!!!

So, I'm pretty stoked. So stoked that I'm using the word, "stoked." Again. STOKED! Dude, that's thrice. And man, I love the word, "thrice." Seriously.

Kaiser, keep those ads coming. I don't mind being influenced by your marketing schemes. In fact, i am quite liking their effects! In return, I promise to continue to "Be [My] Own Cause." And I promise to eat broccolli. I promise to be pro-antioxidant and I promise to resist the gravitational pull of my couch. And above all, I definitely promise to continue to Run. To Walk. And to THRIVE.