Running with the Stars

Somehow I don't think there would be as many people tuning in to watch Running with the Stars, but that's what I'm hoping to do tonight.  As an aside, I've never watched Dancing with the Stars, but there is the same program on TV in Italy called Ballando con le Stelle, which we watched live one time when we were there and now DVR and watch at home.  Soooo cheesy and funny.  Mike Tyson was on once, and there are sometimes other random American celebrities.  Anyway, Running with the Stars would be Correndo con le Stelle and I'd watch for sure! 

Today's schedule is 8 miles.  I'm splitting it between morning and evening miles.  This morning I ran just over 2 at camp, and I was car-less and all set to run 2.8 home, but then I realized my running buddy wouldn't be able to join me and I just didn't feel like running alone, so I hitched a ride home with a friend and hubby continued straight on to work. 

But I knew it wasn't a big deal to skip the miles this morning because I'm planning to do a social run tonight.  With the stars.  Well, with a star.  With a star in the running world. 

The running store with which I do all my training organizes 6 weeks of social runs leading up to the St. Pat's 5k here, which is my favorite race of the year.  They have social runs all year, but for the 6 weeks before the St. Pat's Dash (my only "Dash" race, unlike SeattleRunnerGirl who has a year full of "dash"es), they start a bit later, have special themes, run part of the race route, and start at a grocery store with a cafe.

The first two of the six social runs were iced out -- cancelled because the roads were too bad.  And of course we're mid-70s this week, which is the complete opposite of last week.  So I'm really excited about tonight's run.  Though my besties won't be there, my favorite running coach of all time probably will be, along with an even more well-known star...

Alan Culpepper! 

He's an American runner who competed in the Olympics in 00 and 04, and ran a sub-2:10 debut marathon.  For people who enjoy watching marathons, like me, the 04 Olympic marathon was a crazy spectacle.  That was the one where an Italian won (!), an American came in second (!) and the guy who finished third had been attacked on the course while he was in the lead during the last 10k and pushed into the crowd (!!!!). 

It was absolutely insane to watch the final one of those things happen.  I remember seeing this crazy guy on the course dressed in a big costume and all of a sudden, he was going at the lead runner and shoving him into the crowd.  The crowd pulled the protester off the runner and helped the runner get up and back onto the course.  That may have cost the runner the lead -- ignoring the 20 or so seconds he lost actually being attacked and then trying to get back onto the course, the mental shock had to be almost overwhelming. 

I can't imagine how focused (and tired) you'd be leading the Olympic marathon in the last 10k -- and to be thrown off your game like that, physically and mentally, it's awful.  He said he had been afraid he'd be killed, he didn't know if the protester had a gun or a knife. And after he got up, his muscles cramped up and he was passed by two runners in the next few kilometers.


I don't care if this protester thinks the end of the world is coming (that's apparently his message, he's called the Grand Prix Priest because he interfered with that car race too), there are certainly better ways to convey your message than to go at a runner at the end of a marathon.  That's just so cruel.  The protester apologized and everything, and I think he was charged, but that doesn't really matter to the guy who ended up with the bronze -- though of course he was very professional and polite about everything from what I saw -- though maybe he was in the back screaming at and crying to his coach or something...  His country appealed that she should have gotten the gold, but it was denied. 

Also, after that, there was a lot of criticism of the police for not protecting the runners better, but that seems kind of odd to me -- I just don't know how you enforce security over 26 miles on roads.  The whole essence of the marathon is the distance you cover.  There's just no way to secure that much road and still have spectators there to cheer for the runners. 

Anyway, aside from all that excitement, Alan Culpepper finished 12th, making him the second-place American, impressive in and of itself.

So tonight Alan Culpepper is going to be at the social run, and I'm going to hopefully run next to him and talk to him for a few minutes.  I need to think of a cool question to ask him.  Either about his own experience, or about how to improve mine.  He's finished top 5 at Boston, so my default question will be some kind of Boston tip.  But if you have any bright ideas, please comment.  I'd love to have a couple good things to ask him.  He's also married to a competitive runner, but I don't think either of them is competing anymore.