earning the right to RELAX!

kenny grabbed me after the race, as we were waiting for our post-race breakfast at bijou, eyes wide and sparkling with an excited, nearly manic grin on his face, "can you believe this, sister?! two years ago could you have imagined we'd be doing this?!!"

nope, brother. and i still can't believe it.

a year ago about this time, kenny convinced me to train with him for the bloomsday race in spokane. after my initial hesitation (massive understatement), his enthusiasm wore me down, and i jumped at the chance to share a new experience with my brother. one year later, we're both still running. unbelievable, for me. granted, he's kicking my ass, but it isn't about who's faster. (unless i was faster, then it would be ALL about who's faster). it is about accomplishing goal after goal after formerly unimaginable goal. and doing that with my brother.

i'm one lucky girl.

today, i met kenny, shanna, penny (shanna's mom) and hai at waterfront park. a few months ago, i'd thrown down the gauntlet: shamrock run - 15K. sure, we could have done the 5K or the 8K. but no, it was 15K or nothing. one would think the "i've never run that far in my life" distance would serve as enough motivation to kick my training into high gear. not so much. i ran, but i didn't train with the diligence i'd trained for the bloomsday. and suddenly, march 11 was upon me - one bloody hour earlier than expected.

thank you, congress, for the early wake up call. i've read the energy saving is a crock of shit.

i digress.

the weather - warm. muggy warm. with some seriously gusty wind. the wind concerned me. i'm no weather whimp - i'll run in below freezing temps, rain, snow... but wind? wind is my kryptonite. i loathe running in wind. my hope was that the route up terwilliger would be protected by the trees. i'd never run up terwilliger before, and i didn't think a headwind was going to enhance my enjoyment of the experience.

time to gather for the start. we made our way to naito parkway (the start had been moved there from the under construction burnside bridge) in time to watch some wee ones finish a race around the block. the drama - it was like pee-wee chariots of fire! kenny gave me a quick hug and kiss and made his way to the front, leaving me with hai and co., whom i immediately lost as the mass started surging forward.

the first bit of the race was a twist through old town and up burnside. then, we started the slog up broadway. this is where i first felt the wind. the grade wasn't horrendous, but coupled with the wind, i wondered how wise this 15K thing was. and i was only in mile 2. go me.

terwilliger came into view. i could see people rounding the switchback and heading up the hill. jesus on a blini, are you kidding me? there was a water station at the base of the hill - i grabbed a paper cup, drank a little, spit out a lot, tossed my cup in the garbage and headed up the hill w/o breaking stride. it was hot - muggy, but the wind wasn't too bad. my pace slowed to a crawl. seriously, i can walk faster than i was running, but i wanted to keep running. and keep running i did. and an odd thing happened - about halfway up, i felt a burst of energy. it felt doable for the first time. now, i still had a bunch of uphill to go, and the wind was blasting me back on occasion, but for the first time i really felt i could make it up this hill. i think the hill ran from mile 2 to about mile 5 or so, maybe a little less. and in the middle, there are a couple of glorious spots where the hill levels out. enough to give a girl a break. eventually, i passed a couple cheering on the side of the road as i was reaching the apex of another hill, and they informed me that this was the last uphill bit. that was it, i'd done it. the rest would be gravy, right?

sure. if gravy were made of burning, aching leg muscles and the sting of new blisters forming between toes. then yes, gravy.

the rest was down hill, or at least level. but it was by no means easy. my body was sending me messages. things like "hey, idiot, enough with the running. feet and legs are getting really ouchy, and butt would like immediate contact with couch." however, my mind - good lord, my mind wouldn't hear any of that noise. mind told butt that feet and legs dragged its sorry ass all the way up that damn hill, and that feet and legs, while indeed ouchy, still had a good 4 miles left in them. butt, my mind said, will have full couch, tub and bed access for the remainder of the day, so for right now butt should just SHUT IT.

so, all body parts in relative agreement, we continued on. running barbur blvd. and dropping down onto naito parkway. as we did so the 8K and the 15K streams merged, and i was treated to the feeling that i was beating some 8K folks, who had started after me! i know, i know - some of them had most likely walked for part of the course, but still - it gave me a little extra boost of pride. i was also cutting into my time a bit. up the hill i was at about 10.2 minute miles, and in the last three miles i had cut that back down to 10. not a huge improvement, but it was something.

the finish line. i could see it. it felt far away. and it didn't seem to be getting any closer. i didn't have much left in the tank for a kick, so i did the landmark thing - hawthorne bridge... morrison bridge... tents... people... and then i hear "HEATHER!" and look over to see shanna and penny smiling and waving! and then? i crossed the finish line. just like that. i was done. and i had done it - i'd run the whole 15K.

no sweat, right?

i'll post results when i have them. and the pic is of my feets, soaking in the tub...