Run Day Sunday

** You may not want to read any further if you have a fear of feet/blisters/pain/suffering and do not want to see photos of said feet/blisters/pain/suffering! **

Well, I did it! I did an 11k race and I am here living to tell about it.

It was quite an experience for many reasons. This past week leading up to the race was pretty bad in terms of my preparation. It was mainly due to the blisters I have acquired on my feet.

About 2 months ago, I got new shoes which I raved about on my blog. They were great until they turned into the Blister Inducing Shoes of Doom. They gave me pretty bad blisters on the arches of my feet. I tried to break them in to no avail. So I exchanged them but when I did, they told me I absolutely must let the blisters heal before I wear them. At this point, 2 weeks ago, it was not an option to let them heal because I had to train for this race. So they just got worse. This is how my feet looked on race morning yesterday, before the race:


I warned you, didn't I?

I wrapped my feet up using a combination of moleskin and duct tape. I was determined to do this run!
It worked like charm. Blisters were not even an issue during the run, but the heat definitely was. We are in the middle of a Seattle style heatwave right now and race day happened to be the hottest day yet. By the time we started it was already super hot and nothing like what I have been training in.

My wonderful friend Lynette did the 5 k run . Here is our cheering section at the finish line:



I ran the entire way except for a hill that appeard at around the 4.5 mile mark. I turned a corner and there it was. Everyone was walking it! I had to weigh out the possibilities quickly to decide whether to run it or walk it. Hills really hurt my hips. And with the heat, was running this hill going to kill me for the rest of the run? I wimped out and walked it.

With the finish line in sight, I cranked up all of my cylinders and sprinted to the finish. Here I come!


After the race:


I think I was telling Lynette about the hill right here! (she ran it!). Look how nice a refreshed she looks and how hot and sweaty and red I am!


To Lynette: thank you for running with me. I thought of you many times before and during the race. I watched my watch before the race and knew you were running your heart out. You inspired me during your training because I know this is far out of your comfort zone. Your determination to do something you probably never thought you could do was such an inspiration to me. I am very proud of you and love you very much!

*******

There were times when I wanted to give up and not run but there was one thing that kept me going. The run was organized to benefit the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. I ran with my Dad in mind. He passed away from cancer in 1974 at the age of 33.