The Official Website of Ultra Athlete Shanna Armstrong

Cowtown Half Marathon

Well i said i was getting up at 5:15 am but i was woken up by my phone ringing at 6:07.   i was thinking “ohh shit!”   It was johnny and author letting me know they were close.   It was a rush to get ready and i did not have anything laid out.   We on the road by 6:25 so i got ready quick.   We were parked really close so that Johnny would not have to hobble around to much on his injured leg.   We were still the 3 musketeers.

I had on my hammer nutrition nordic ski outfit and looked really warm.   i also looked like a total poser being at the back dressed like a pro.  i am proud to be a hammer athlete so i wore the clothing proudly.   Author was all ready to rock -n-roll himself.    Johnny is really his close friend and got him through all the training and planned to go across the line wiht us.  We are a team…the 3 mouseketeers (probably spelling this wrong).   We hung out indoors until the race.  i am really glad cause it was cold for me.  i am a hot weather girl and looked like the michlen man at the start…..well the finish too.

We got started and before i knew it Author was running into cones.   i was not just a pacer but more like a seeing eye dog.   Author can not see the ground in front of him.  we laughed about the cones.   My GPS watch came from a European that had it set on some kind of kilometers.   It showed we were running a 5:15 pace.  what it was set on…i have no idea.    i know the pace it takes to run a 2 hour marathon.   it is my normal pace for 50 miles so i knew we would be ok.   I heard someone make the comment to Author that if they found him dead on the side of the road is was because i took it out to fast.   We might have been about 15 seconds faster then what we could have ran for a 2 hour marathon but we were on a downhill at the time.   the first half was all up hill.  i was wondering what i got myself into but kept the steady pace.  People were looking at me retarded when they heard me yelling out the obstacles for author.   i would yell “Cone”,  “pothole”, or “curn” really loudly.  I would get some crazy look from someone we were passing and then let them know a blind man was passing them.  I was proud of Author and honered to be running next to him.  

i kept an eye on my watch and let him know when to take his gels or when to drink.   He got a running stitch halfway through the marathon and sounded like he was going to die but i made him keep running.  He was great!  I did slow up for him to get rid of the running stitch.   We were making good time and on track to to a little better then 2 hours.   This aws the plan since the last two miles can be tough.   At the 9 mile mark Author wanted to pick it up and shoot for a better time.   We picked it up on some flat stuff.  I passed a lady with some donut holes in a sack out for us athltes.   i went back for one.  I caught back up to Author and had my mouth stuffed full of donut.   This was a treat!   Author heard some music and since he could not see the mile markers he thought we were close.  when we got to the music and passed it he was bummed out.   i told him what we all hate to hear when we race ” your almost there.’  i started this at mile 9 so you know he wanted to hit me.   i had my phone and called Johnny and the paper to let them know we would be at the finish faster then we predictied. 

Johnny wanted to run in with us.   Johnny had to find a way to get into the run without people noticing.   Poor guy.  Johnny was walking with all these people cheering him on.   We almost passed johnny since i was looking for him on the sidelines.   i saw him and knew we were going to break 1:55.  Johnny with his hurt leg sprinted into the finish line with us.   i think it was harder for him then author.   i think Author did a 154:30.   We were the 3 mouseketeers crossing the line.   Johnny was such a great sport getting up to cross the line with us.   It was a nice day.   i got more reward from this race pacing Author then most any other races I have done.   i got the same feeling when I helped my friend Jamie break her 4 hour marathon doing a 3:48.  It was a great day and I had much more fun then if I did a 50k alone….well i always make friends but you know what I mean.

I was supposed to do 20 miles but did not do it.   we got cold at the finish getting our t-shirts and stuff.   I decided to call it quits and spend some time with my buddies.   i do this for fun and hanging out with them was most important.   Next year Author is shooting to do the marathon and i will be right beside him.  Johnny and author have been my motivation to get outside and run here lately.