Seabrook Lucky Trails Half Marathon, Seabrook, TX, March 16, 2024

Race #94

On March 16th I ran Half Marathon #94 in my continued pursuit of Half Marathon #100. I ran this race on our wedding anniversary, trying to keep these bittersweet milestones from getting me down. This race took place in Seabrook, TX, a coastal town about 30 minutes from Houston. As I drove to the race early in the morning, I was able to watch the sunrise, which always helps me to remember that each day is always going to come, whether you are ready for it or not, so you must face it and try to find the beauty in each day instead of the sadness. But as the sun rose in the sky, there were thunderstorms in the distance and I saw lightning flashing across the sky as I drove. This reminded me that as hard as I try each day, I sometimes get ambushed with storms that keep me from moving forward. I was worried that the storms might cause the race to be delayed or cancelled, but once I got to the start of the race, the storms moved on and we were able to start the race. There were lots of analogies going on in my head for my life these last 9 months since Mikie left me, but I must remember that the sun is always going to rise and there will always be storms along the way, but they will always move on to make way for sunny skies. I just have to work hard to enjoy the sunny days sometimes. 

Throughout the race, I thought back to so many incredible memories of our wedding and honeymoon in Fiji. Mikie absolutely loved Matangi Island and we spent our days, lounging in the sun and drinking umbrella drinks, swimming in the ocean, kayaking, snorkeling among the absolutely gorgeous coral reefs around the island, and most of all, just soaking up our love for each other. It was a magical trip that I will never forget.

 

While we were still in Fiji for our honeymoon, we promised each other that we would return to that island, no matter what. Each year as our anniversary approached, we discussed a return trip, but the timing was never right. Life always got in the way. So my advice to you is to never let life get in the way, at least not all the time. Life will always be busy, but you never know how much time you really have with the ones you love. You will always have regrets, I certainly do for my time with Mike, but just make sure that the good times and the happy memories always outweigh the regrets. We had so many beautiful times and amazing memories and above all, we loved each other deeply and we showed each other that love every single day. Life is too short not to give that extra hug or say I Love You one more time. I am so grateful that Mikie and I did that each and every day. In fact, we said I Love You every time we talked, every time we parted and every time we talked on the phone. His last morning, before he left the house, he woke me up (as he did every morning when he left before me), we talked for a few minutes about our day, we kissed and said I Love You. Of course I want more, but I know that I can be sustained for the rest of my life with the love that he gave me while he was here. I love you forever, Mikie ♥️

My time for this race wasn’t too bad considering my limited training and my wonky knee (2:41:18). My next race is the Hapalua Half Marathon in Waikiki, Hawaii in April…please send good vibes for my knee to hold up!

Ascension Seton Austin Half Marathon, Austin, TX, February 18, 2024

Race #93

I ran Race #93 on February 18th in Austin, TX, coming one race closer to reaching Mikie’s goal of 100 half marathons. It was great running weather…cold but sunny. As I ran this race, in the city where I earned my undergraduate degree at the University of Texas at Austin, I recalled many great memories of the fun-spirited rivalry that Mikie and I had for our alma maters. As many of you know, Mikie loved his UCLA Bruins and one of the first presents he ever gave me was a UCLA ball cap (and I still have that hat, all these years later). We had fun over the years when UCLA did play UT (not that often, though) and of course, we always had to have a bet for those games! And one year when we went to a UT game in Austin, I even got him to wear a Longhorn shirt and hat!

I also reminisced during the race about how much we loved following our sports teams (of course there was always a rivalry when his beloved Dodgers played the Houston Astros) and making bets. When the Dodgers played the Astros in 2017 World Series, we had a bet and the loser had to wear the other teams’ gear for the day…Mikie sure looked good in orange!

I still cheer for the Dodgers and the Bruins in his honor and think about how our competitive spirits always fueled our athletic pursuits. I always feel his spirit pushing me in every race. I feel him when I am dragging and I get a cool breeze to give me a second wind. I feel him when I am about to slow down, but then I see him on the sidelines cheering me on. But most of all, I feel his love, and that is the best motivation of all to continue running these races.

This course was full of lots of hills that definitely challenged my banged up knee, but I had to remind myself that this race was just mirroring how I am living life at the moment, full of ups and downs and never knowing when the next big hill would pop up and ambush me. But I did in the race as I am doing each day, just taking it one step at a time, and with that strategy, I was able to finish the race, although not my fastest time (2:28:34) but still pretty darn good for me. And I will continue to take each day step-by-step.

At all UT Austin sporting events, they play a song called “The Eyes of Texas” and I found myself humming the song during the race (it is sung to the tune of “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”), so I decided to rewrite some of the lyrics for Mikie…

The Eyes of Mikie are upon me, all the livelong race.
The Eyes of Mikie are upon me, telling me to pick up the pace.
Do not think you can escape him, I feel him sending me a sign.
The Eyes of Mikie are upon me till I cross that finish line.

My next race is the Seabrook Lucky Trails Half Marathon on March 16th (our wedding anniversary).