I ran the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon with my friend Ann Marie Mann-Simpkins about two weeks after I ran the 1997 Boston Marathon. Here's what I thought of it in
1997:
Ann Marie and I ran the Indianapolis Mini-Marathon last Friday. No
racing for me though, I paced Ann Marie all the way. She'd never run more than
ten miles before and hadn't trained much more than the 12-18 miles a week that
she ran with me. We started off slowly, about 15,000th place of the 20,000
people there and settled into a 9:00-10:00 pace after a few miles. Ann Marie
ran very well. Consistent splits and good form throughout. She slowed down a
little in the last 5K and wasn't talking much, but we managed to finish in
2:12. There was a five minute bathroom break stop in the second mile, so a
2:07 was probably more reflective of her running. I ran with her the entire
way. Being part of the huge pack of people
was a blast. High fiving little kids a long the course and not worrying about
whether or not I was still on pace was tons of fun. Ann Marie ran a great race
and I was quite proud. Still she
was fantastic.
After the race Ann Marie was surprised that her legs were tired and
hurt. I couldn't help but smile. She wanted to
know what she'd done wrong or not eaten. I told her that the best way to feel
less pain was to train more, but that there was always going to be some pain
when you push your body to the edge. A little tightness at
the end of 13.1 miles is not much compared to the pain at the end of the next
13.1 miles. Running this half marathon was good experience for her and I think
she knows more now just what's she in for if she decides to peruse marathon
running more.
Back to the Running Vita of James B. Elliott
