Sunday, July 09, 2006

The Bear

Last Thursday I drove up to Boone for the second time in a week.
Why?
oh, just to run/walk/crawl 5 miles up Grandfather Mt.
Yes, voluntarily...honestly.

Megan and Josh have all the photos from the race so I decided to put my medal on Scottie since he looks sort of like a bear and post it until I can get the realy photos from Megan.


I got up to race start line early because I still had to register due to the fact I had not taken advantage of pre-registration because I was worried about trying something like The Bear and not being able to train on any hills- because Charlotte has none. But I did it anyway.
I was aslo pretty worried about trying The Bear because I haven't actually been running at all regularly...or maybe it's at all.
I've been feeling pretty depressed about what I want to get out of my running now that I didn't meet my goal to run the 50 miler back in April along with Dads decision to not run anymore long races (I mean who else do I know who is crazy enough to run the long races with me?).
Plus it's been REALLY hot out here in Charlotte.

Anyway, back at the race start line.
Dad, Megan and Isabella FInally show up, with Dad sporting a fabulous kilt that showed off his legs quite nicely. Isabella was wearing a matching kilt with Megan and I wearing side scarves that have a particular name that I can't remember. Dad chose the Sutherland plaid to wear because we have ancestors from that clan and he thought it looked the prettiest.
Last year Megan, Josh, Isabella and Dad ran The Bear but didn't finish early enough to get a medal (#601, 602, 603- the frist 600 got the medal) due in part to them starting at the back of the pack so that no one would have to deal with the stroller.
This year?
Front of the pack baby!
Megan and I were running on either side of the stroller by the front wheel like a pair of body guardes elbbows flying to make sure that Dad had the room he need to navigate with the stroller. Unfortunately this ment we started FAST and it drained us later in the race. Dad was also a hit because of the fact that he was pushing a cutie pie as well as a stroller with a DVD player attached. Several runners said that they wouldn't mind hanging back and watching the movie along with us.

We were also a huge hit during the portion of the course that lead us through the Highland Games- screaming fans, flashes exploding all around us...

Isabella took it all in stride not even looking up from her movie (Chicken Little)- she knows she should be adored.

It was shortly after that that Dad started showing he was pushing 60 lbs up a mountain with a .10 grade and we slowed to a walk, which is actually what pretty much everyone did. Megan did get a "moment" when a tall red-head offered to give her a hand liftign the stroller over a root in what she describes as a "delicous" scottish brouge. We continued up that mountain and at about the 3.5 mile marker Dad let Megan take over pushing Isabella- If I remember correctly it was shortly after she started telling him "Run Dad, Run".

Megan and I thought it unfair that the people who saw us after the exchange didn't know that Dad had done all the work before. We also have the sneaking suspision that a few thought Megan and I might have been a Lesbian couple.
Dad did recover enough to join with Megan to push the stroller up the last two switch backs and the even let me add a hand and pretend that I had done more than look pretty through the race.
It was a strange feeling to walk/run the last few yards- it's a very emotional race and the fans are great (they can't leave until the race is over due to traffic concerns) and so as we approched the top it really felt like they were screaming just for you. I don't even remember feeling that emotional when Abby and I finished the marathon and that was a hard painful race that lasted almost 5 hours rather than the hour + that The Bear was.
Strange.
Megan was also heard muttering that she wasn't letting Dad do this again next year- so I suspect that Becca will be hit up for Adiran next year.
Dad was also heard saying that all he needed was more leg excersises and a real jogging stroller rather.

1 comment:

Matthew said...

Sounds like lots of fun. I look forward to the pictures.