I
live in Spokane, WA. The first Sunday in May is Bloomsday, an annual
12k race (approximately 7.54 miles) that is an international event.
Someone from Kenya usually wins, but it is a cultural icon here.
Usually there are around 60,000 people participating. I have family
that comes in from Dallas and from Missouri to participate. We don't
compete, we just git 'er done. At about the5 mile mark, we come to
"Doomsday Hill" a quarter mile steady incline that feels like the end of
the world at the time. And there are 2 miles left yet before the end.
Once we finish the race, we have to get from the finish line to the t-shirt pickup and then find our cars or rides. Getting from the drop off zone to the starting line and from the finish line to the pick up zone adds another mile and a half to your total distance. So far, they have not instituted helicopters at the finish line for our convenience. Sigh.
My dad did this race for many years - more than 25. But in 2009, he decided he was done. He didn't do it that year or since. I decided in 2010, I would do it FOR him since he was around 60 when he started - older than I was at the time. I walked it in 2010, then again in 2011 when I was 20 lbs heavier than the year before. And I felt every single one of those pounds after we were done, trust me! Last year, I was yet another 20 lbs up from the year before and didn't even try to do it. But this year! Oh, this year I weigh 10 lbs LESS than in 2010. So I am signed up for the race. Yes, I will have blisters on my toes when I'm done and charley-horses in my feet. But I will finish. And I won't be the very last one to finish the course, either.
So, thank you Medifast/TSFL for the opportunity to, again, show my spirit! And, again, Daddy - this one's for you!
Once we finish the race, we have to get from the finish line to the t-shirt pickup and then find our cars or rides. Getting from the drop off zone to the starting line and from the finish line to the pick up zone adds another mile and a half to your total distance. So far, they have not instituted helicopters at the finish line for our convenience. Sigh.
My dad did this race for many years - more than 25. But in 2009, he decided he was done. He didn't do it that year or since. I decided in 2010, I would do it FOR him since he was around 60 when he started - older than I was at the time. I walked it in 2010, then again in 2011 when I was 20 lbs heavier than the year before. And I felt every single one of those pounds after we were done, trust me! Last year, I was yet another 20 lbs up from the year before and didn't even try to do it. But this year! Oh, this year I weigh 10 lbs LESS than in 2010. So I am signed up for the race. Yes, I will have blisters on my toes when I'm done and charley-horses in my feet. But I will finish. And I won't be the very last one to finish the course, either.
So, thank you Medifast/TSFL for the opportunity to, again, show my spirit! And, again, Daddy - this one's for you!
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