Race #2: Of Mountains and Museums

Alright. Let's just say Saturday's 10K was not easy. Again, there were plenty of signs that this race wouldn't just be a 6.2 mile walk in the park. At mile marker 1, there was a dead skunk on the road, complete with entrails displayed for all to see. That should have been some sort of sign that this race would not be pleasant, and that one might just end up in the same situation as said skunk.

But let me back up. The absolute best part of this race was unexpected. As I was doing a few warm up laps, who should appear, but my fabulouso brother Dustin. He showed up to run with me and help me up the mountain when I had nothing left in me.

So we're running together and it's icy and cold, and (you guessed it) uphill! We ran up a short hill and then down a loooong hill. My quads were definitely feeling it by the time we got to the bottom. And it was with a sense of foreboding that I realized this course made a loop. So we would soon be headed right back up the same loooong hill. Dang! Here's the elevation profile of the race course.For some reason I don't really remember the middle part of the race. Probably because the hills were so monumental. But what I do remember as I ran, was feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the goodness of people. We ran by a little old man and his wife along with their dog. They were out there at 8 in the morning in front of their house with pom-poms to cheer everyone on. There were the police officers that helped stop traffic so we could pass by without becoming roadkill. And then there were the runners themselves. Everyone was so kind and took a moment to wave and thank those that were out on this cold morning to help.

Dustin was a great example of sportsmanship. Because he stayed with me the entire race (read: he was running much slower than what he's capable of), he had all sorts of energy to wave and make friendly comments to those along the race route. I, on the other hand, was lucky if I could puff out one word answers to Dustin's questions.

But as I was running, I felt a sense of gratitude for even being able to run. For being able to work towards a goal and achieve it. For my parents who graciously offered to watch the kiddos while I ran. For Aaron giving up his entire Saturday for me. For all these people who went out of their way to help me. Most of all for Dustin. He didn't have to stick with me, but he did. He helped push me (literally) when I couldn't make it up that last bugger of a hill. He stayed with me and supported me when I didn't want to go any further. I don't think I could have done nearly as well without him. He is one amazing athlete, and an even better person. I really look up to him in all aspects of his life and I love him so much.

So we continued running and suddenly there was only a little over a mile left. At around 4.5 miles we began climbing back up the hill we had recently descended. I'm not gonna lie when I say I felt no shame in walking up a good portion of that last 1.5 mile-long hill. I knew there was no way I could run up that monster, so I settled for fast walking. I guess it was good enough because once we made it to the top of the hill, we were home free. We finished in 1 hour 5 minutes. My goal for this race was 1 hour 15 minutes, so I was really happy to beat that goal. However, I'm sure that I wouldn't have made it without Dustin. He is a champion and I'm so glad I got the chance to run with him. Here we are just after finishing. It was all I could do to contort my face into a smile, while Dustin looks ready for another 10 miles or so:

So that was Part 1 of our Saturday. Part 2 involved taking the kids to a nearby children's museum where they had all sorts of fun with Grandma C. exploring and being adventurous. Parks even got to take part in a mini play and had so much fun. Here are a few of the highlights:

Parks the firefighter

Madame President Maddie

At school

Exploring with Grandma

And finally, here's Parks in his theatre debut as a pirate in "Grandma and the Pirates":

What a weekend!