Races and things...

Things have picked up a bit on the running front, and I bounced back after Bloomsday.

I did the CDA 1/2 and it went pretty well - though I am not actually sure what my time was since apparently a sign on the last crucial turn was knocked over and all of us in the top 20 or so ran extra!!  I did probably an extra .65 miles, so my time of 1:28 was significantly over.  It was frustrating, but up until then I had felt as though I ran well, and I was pleased with it.  I hung on for 4th overall, and while I passed the girl who got 3rd at the turnaround, she hung on like grim death, which I felt like at Mile 11 and I left her pass and go, wanting to cruise the last two miles.  I know, not the right attitude necessarily, but I was tired.  Regardless, I was punished by this lack of initiative by the aforementioned detour of Riverstone Park!

I can't steal my pics off this website, but you can see my confusion here: http://orders.racephotonetwork.com/QPPlus/Images.aspx.  Unfortunately, I remembered the turn from last year, but so much of the course was changed, I figured this was too, and my Garmin was just off.  Grr, what frustration.  At least I wasn't going for a qualifying time or anything!!  Dad and JM came out to cheer at the finish, and despite their concern over my slower time, they were there with smiles on!  It was a great day for it, and a fun event, despite the mayhem.

The following weekend involved another 5am start, to head out for the Teen Closet 50, which sees teams of 10 run ten legs via all of the city's high schools.  I did it last year (on a massive Elkfest hangover!) and had a great time, so went out again.  This time I was Leg 1, and they had our team start an hour later than every other, since last year, we didn't have much competition after the first couple legs.  As such, I had to race myself to try to cover some ground.  I felt good, averaging less than 6.30s, which can be tough on unfamiliar terrain and solo.   Plus then I got to spend the day just cheering, which was great!  Oh, and again for year 2, we ran in tutus - a bit silly (and sort of cumbersome to run in) but fun!  We ended up 2nd overall - one HS boys team was super fast - and caught most of the teams.

Me in the tutu!

We also had a guest for Sunday Dinner who is doing a fabulously inspiring event!  JB from my Serpentine team is attempting to be the first woman to cross America on foot - this entails averaging 42 miles a day for 80 days, with 1000 miles or so on trail and the rest on road.  She started on the coast of Washington 12 days ago and will finish in Delaware on Aug 17th, all going well.  It is a bit nuts, for sure, but all the best to her - it is an amazing goal and will be such a feat!  Her spirits are high, and she is about to head into some lovely weather and terrain through northern Idaho and Montana.  We had a lovely meal with her and provided some, hopefully, needed home cooking and baked goods :)  To follow J's run, visit her blog here: www.runningandbaking.com.  Good luck Jen!!

As for everything else, it has been a bit tumultuous.  Dad has been in the hospital since last Monday, doing a series of tests and things to see if he is a candidate for a heart assist device.  His spirits have been good, and he is showing positive responses to the treatment they have provided thus far, but going home today also means wearing an external defibrillator 24/7 from here on out, and things are about to get a whole lot more intense if he goes through the surgery.  It is all a bit overwhelming, but for his sake, we have no choice but to be 100% positive and help him through this journey.  It is thought that this might add a couple years of higher quality of life for him, and that is something that we cannot just disregard because of inconvenience!  It will be hard and life-altering, but if it means a better life for him, we must do it!  Keep going, one step at a time!