Before – ready to load the busAfter months of cold, ice-picking, hard training, the day I had been waiting for finally arrived. And “yes” it was worth it all! The weather couldn’t have been more perfect, warm with a gentle breeze. The company was great, thanks Diana! And the exhilaration from being surrounded by 5000 runners couldn’t have felt any more energizing.
We loaded the buses and began the drive up the canyon to the starting line…so many people were there and the lines to the prairie dawg porta potties were long. We joined the masses to take care of business. This is definitely my least favorite part of the run, but very necessary. After that we made our way to the start. We waited there for about 20-30 minutes in the freezing shade of the canyon.
It was so great to finally start to get some heat flowing through my cold body and slow the uncontrolled cold spasms down. It was less than two miles when I shed my jacket for good. I opted to tie it around my waist but many runners just threw their sweats and jackets off the side of the road to be gathered and donated to good will. I am too practical for that so I just settled on having a belt of heat for 11 miles.
We were in a good groove until Diana started having trouble with her IT band at mile 7 (on our 13 mile practice run at home 3 weeks ago she completely tore it up and was praying for a recovery before this run). This was not good for her, I felt so bad. She was so tough and finished the race only slowing down a bit. We loved the aid stations equipped with gatorade and water and always stopped in to hydrate ourselves.
It was great when we got to mile 10 and heard the awesome drums – I knew this meant we were almost out of the canyon and would be able to see our family cheerleaders. About this time I look up and saw Mason riding his bike toward us – I was shocked! It was so awesome to see him, but I immediately went into responsible mode and hastened him back to his dad because there weren’t supposed to be bikers on the road. We saw the bunch shortly after that and I got a great energy boost. We only had 2 1/2 miles to go.
I really had a blast on this run and felt great afterward – all of that preparation paid off for me! I only wish Diana could have experienced the same without her IT band problems. I am totally proud of her for finishing! What a great person she is with lots of determination. I appreciate her friendship so much and was so happy to get to share this experience with her. Hopefully she won’t be scarred so much that she’ll want to give up running every day with me.
Running partners are hard to find – trust me I know! There aren’t many people who are willing to wake up at 5:30 am everyday and offer therapy and advice and encouragement. I genuinely bless the day she moved to Sugar City. (Excuse me for my sappiness, but it is all the truth!)
I am hoping to some day be one of those awesome 60-70 year old ladies that I saw running Saturday. So impressive and totally inspiring! It is not so much that I love running, but that I love to feel strong and energetic. I guess your only as old as you make up your mind to be, right?
Comments:
Anne said…
GREAT JOB! Way to go, glad you had a good run! Hope your friends leg gets better quick. It was fun to see you for a little bit, we sure miss you guys. You are such a cute, fun family! Hugs!
Monday, March 23, 2009 12:50:39 PM
Mom and Dad Parker said…
Nice job Jodi! You looked really good there. We agree that it is a good thing to be able to have energy and stamina when you are in your 60s. You can do hard things, even every day.
Monday, March 23, 2009 2:17:52 PM
Michelle said…
Good Job Jodi! You are a very motivating person. Looks like a great payday for a lot of work.
Monday, March 23, 2009 3:45:23 PM
Magan said…
Looks like a success
Monday, March 23, 2009 4:07:08 PM
Diana said…
Jodi, it was all you babe! You were amazing! Looking back I didn’t really mind all the miserable training in the cold & snow, until it started snowing this afternoon. Then, I started thinking of 5:30 a.m., my winter coat & ear warmers. It really isn’t too fun to think about!
Sunday, March 29, 2009 7:23:35 PM
Jeana said…
Good job! I’m so jealous. I love that run!
Thursday, April 02, 2009 8:51:22 PM