The Half

Running is kind of a crazy thing. Runners are kind of a crazy thing, but I guess I've always been a little crazy. For the past month and a half I have been awakened by a shrill beeping sound and a big, glaring, red number 5 staring out at me. I jump happily out of bed (okay, okay I groggily shuffle out of bed) and go out and run. After about a mile I strangely feel happy (ask anyone who has run with me in the morning, we don't speak for the first mile.) I see all of the other crazy people out running, and we wave and say hello. It is the famed and much missed by me, runner's high. Needless to say last year was a big, bad year of sickness and I didn't get to run. This summer however, I began my epic journey back to health and running, and I completed my first goal of the Logan Half Marathon yesterday. Friday evening one of my best friends (bless her heart, she is the greatest) and I went down to pick up my packet and were only met with a slight awkward moment of going to an old woman's house to pick up my packet. (Hey, It wasn't my fault, they put the wrong address on the website. Luckily, she was nice.) The next morning at 6 am I boarded a school bus with runners of all ages merrily chatting about races, times, shoes, ipods, gatorade, gu, lost toenails, chaffing, defeats, triumphs. You name it, any subject that can correspond to running was discussed. The bus driver happily told everyone as soon as she has dropped us off, she was going straight back to bed, and like I said runners are kind of crazy, because nobody really wished that they were her. We are all too excited to run. Up the canyon at the start some people had already begun to do practice runs (not me 13.1, and not a step more), some people had begun their. . . hmmm. . .stretches (to each his own), and everybody was in line for the port-a-potties. Once we began everyone surged towards the front, but after about 3 miles the pack spread out and I started picking out my targets. I'm not a super competitive person, but there is something exhilarating in passing people. At first it was the old woman, (Hey, I have been passed by way too many old people in running.) She was the first to go, then the mother and daughter duo. Next I had my sights on big red up ahead. She however, was not taken easily, I inched ahead and then just as I breathed a triumphant yes, she came back up from behind me, daring me to take her on. We ran neck to neck for a minute or two and then I surged ahead. Yes, victory was mine. Can't you see how much fun a race really is. I did this for most of the race.( Ok, I did this but was also happily distracted by the great children's book playing on my ipod.) Sadly, my newly picked running enemy, old blue, was not caught. Oh well, there is always the next race. My sights are now set on the Richmond, Virgina Marathon in November. It is suppose to be the world's friendliest marathon, and I happen to be a pretty friendly person, which makes it all seem pretty perfect. At least that is what I'll have to tell myself tommorrow morning when the familiar shrill sound attacks and those big red numbers start blinking.