More on bloomsday

I couldn't get that to work - I figured I could type into there, but maybe not.

Anyway, felt I should write some about the big race, and everything else going on. Of course it is after 11pm and I am not going to make it through much, since that is me and I suck at this.

But in a nutshell, Bloomsday is a super tough race. Apparently this was my fifth time doing it, and I didn't notice that before?? I guess I have never been putting in a decent effort.

I got to start with the elite women based on my time in previous races - good in that we got to start 15 minutes ahead of the 50,000+ runners, joggers, and walkers. Bad in that after 2 miles it gets pretty lonely out on that road! I ran with some of the Swift girls and felt confident in the strategy going in. Averaging 6 min miles over the hilly course seemed totally reasonable. Until after the first hill (which I managed okay). But the second, third, and fourth killed me and I never got any speed back!!

It ended up okay - I was 44th female overall, 277 of the whole race (top 0.5%) and ran a 47.46. I was dead though, and it was humbling - I realise that aside from Green Belt and Welsh Castles, I haven't really raced hills, and even those I wasn't really racing to the point of trying to place higher. So this was pretty much the hardest terrain I have ever raced!

It was a fun day - after scattered snow showers (I know, right?? what is this climate change crap??) it ended up a gorgeous sunny day, and LJ and JM came out to cheer for me at the finish, which was great! they even had NJ decorated signs to wave, lucky me :) And while the race was tough, I felt decent about the effort I put forth and am glad I got out and did it. It is a fantastic event, and great to see so many people out enjoying it.

All else is going okay...I have picked the date to return to London, and am having all kinds of mixed emotions about it, as one would expect. I have made a nice little life for myself here in the past 5 months - old and new friends, fun groups of people to keep me active, and rejuvenated appreciation for Spokane. It has been great. Not to mention, obviously, all the time with Dad. It is six weeks out, and I already get teary thinking about saying goodbye to him. I know he is doing really well now but who knows? I hate to think about it possibly being the last goodbye.

I wouldn't take this time back for the world - it is hands down where I needed to be and I will never regret it for a moment. I just worry we have all gotten a bit too used to the idea, and that the reality of me leaving might come crashing down. The last thing I want him to do is have a backslide. I would come back in a heartbeat, of course, but I hate to think about his health declining at all.

At the end of the day, I will be leaving on the best of terms, really - much better than we had anticipated back on Christmas, opening presents and watching It's a Wonderful Life through teary eyes, thinking about how it was likely the last one together. If you would have asked me then, I thought I would be leaving a much more depleted person, having lost one of the most important people in my life. As it is, I will be leaving a much greater person, having helped provide someone dear to me tack on extra memories to the hatful of that have made up a fulfilling and jovial lifetime; I have gotten to spend extra time with one of the greatest people on the planet; I have made some degree of peace with myself for mistakes made in the past; I have gotten to know and be part of the lives of my dear friends, and their children in many cases; I have made new friends, and made better friends with old ones; I have had a lot of tears, a lot of laughs, and a lot of love showered on me, making me feel like one of the luckiest people in the world. I am the better for this time, indeed.