Race #99
Well, I wish I was writing this blog entry for a race in August, to keep up with Mikie’s goal of 100 Half Marathons by his 75th birthday, but I will explain why that isn’t the case and why I had to postpone his goal slightly (which I really struggled with, but I know he understands). In August, I had the opportunity to take a trip to Colorado and spend time in Breckenridge with my friends Michelle and Tom and with my nephew Hunter. We had a wonderful time and we filled each day with hikes and adventures, which reminded me so much of all the Colorado adventures that I had with Mikie. About 5 minutes from where we were staying was the trailhead for Quandary Peak, which sits at 14,271 feet. In Colorado, we call mountains that are above 14,000 feet 14ers. Hunter asked about it one day and I was explaining to him that it was a great accomplishment to hike to the summit of a 14er. I had done it several times before (although I seemed to forget that I did that in my 20’s and 30’s) and he suggested that maybe we could try it. Not remembering that I was now in my 50’s, I said, “Sure!” So, we planned our hike for our very last day in Colorado. We started a little later than we should have (I should have known better as I knew about the afternoon storms that would roll into the mountains), but we started our hike and made it to the top in about 4 hours (just a note that Hunter probably would have made it in a lot less time, but he kindly waited for his older aunt to make her way up the mountain). It was tough, but I was so excited to have made it! As we were taking pictures at the summit and enjoying our success, the afternoon storm clouds started to roll in. I knew that we would be okay as they were far enough away that I felt we would make it to tree-line in plenty of time. But as the thunder started clapping in the distance and a few rain drops started to fall, we worked to quicken our pace down the mountain l. About half an hour down and while we were still in the midst of all rocks for a path, I slipped on a rock that was wet with the drizzle and went down, hitting my ribs in the back on that big rock. I have never broken or bruised my ribs before, but had always heard that it could be really painful…now know how true that is! But I knew that the clock was ticking for us to get down to tree-line, so I got back up and was very grateful that I could still walk and get myself back down the mountain. It could have been much worse! I think being in a little bit of shock helped me make it for the next 3 hours, but each step reminded me that I wasn’t going to make it off this mountain unscathed. We finally made it back to the trailhead and as I Googled broken and bruised ribs, I realized that there wasn’t much that I could do for them, other than rest. Well, that wasn’t going to happen as we still had two more days of driving and sightseeing as we made our way back to Texas. The next week, and back at home, my doctor confirmed with an x-ray that they weren’t broken, only bruised, but she said that I needed to rest and not do any running for the next two weeks. I was going to run my virtual half marathon for August when I got back from the trip and given that there was only a week left in August, I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
So after a few days of working to reconcile in my mind that I wasn’t going to make Mikie’s goal in time for his birthday, I made peace with it and started looking for a race in October or November that could be #100. And I found the perfect race…on November 10th, I will run the Monterey Bay Half Marathon in Monterey, California and that will be Half Marathon #100. The race will run mostly along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in one of the most beautiful areas in the state…I know Mikie would approve!
Now back to Race #99…I started at 5:30am to try to avoid the heat. As the sun rose a little after seven o’clock, I was treated to an absolutely gorgeous sunrise that turned the sky around the most beautiful shades of pink and orange. And as I traversed past one section of the running path that lets you peek into the Memorial Park Golf Course, with the sunrise in the backdrop, I looked over and the golf course was covered in a soft mist. It honestly looked magical and as I looked closer, I know that I saw Mikie there. I know he wasn’t really there, but I take solace in picturing him in different places. It keeps him close to me.
“Without you in my arms, I feel an emptiness in my soul. I find myself searching the crowds for your face - I know it's an impossibility, but I cannot help myself.” ― Nicholas Sparks, Message in a Bottle
I finished this race in 2:50:36, my slowest time since I started this journey one year ago today, but that’s okay…I finished it and I felt Mikie smiling down on me and that’s what counts the most!
This race benefits the Bee Conservancy, which helps to better capture the work protecting all bees and securing environmental and food justice through education, research, habitat creation, and advocacy.