Race #12

Here I am, on the eve of race number 13, and I’ve yet to post the details of number 12. One would think my life was busy!

State number 11 is in the books and once again I posted a decent time (32:52) for me, I was seventh out of thirteen in my division. This was a last minute addition to the schedule largely because I could fly into Atlanta early, drive to the race site, run, drive back to the airport and fly home, all within one day.

Once again, before the race started my shirt caused a few comments and even a photo or two. I also struck up a conversation with a 68 year old lady, Jane B. who had started running just this year. She told me a story of running a race with her grandson put on by his college. He asked her not to finish before him as his buddies would never stop ribbing him if she did. She had to slow down at the end to let him pass! Go grandma!

The race started with a nice little downhill and then we went on a trail around a pond. I came out feeling good and tried to push it as we were on the trail but the path was pretty uneven and muddy in a few spots. After that it was all road and pretty hilly, though mostly gradual hills. I spent a good part of the race running with two middle aged guys. It worked out well for me as I kept pushing myself to get in front of them and then try and stay in front. They would walk up the hills and I’d run so I’d get ahead, but their long legs gave them an advantage on the downside. But I took them in the end!

I didn’t have my lucky yellow headband or eat a meal of pasta the night before. In fact, for lunch the day of the race I ate at the Yesterday Café in Greensboro, Georgia. Good southern food – chopped steak with onions and gravy, fried okra and collards – yum!

Going through the Atlanta airport on my way to my rental car I felt tug on my arm. I turned and a small elderly lady, who spoke no English, mimed that she needed help finding her gate. Through hand signals and digging through her purse I was able to locate her ticket and find the gate number. I first pointed her in the direction of the escalator thinking that was all she needed. Clearly that wasn’t enough. So I told her I’d take her to the gate, grabbed her hand and suitcase and headed for the escalator. I got on with her suitcase and thought she would get on behind me, but she was too scared. As the crowd backed up behind her I rode to the top with her suitcase. Finally a man stepped through the crowd and pretty much put her on the escalator as I stood at the top. Recognizing the situation, two other men, going up on an adjoining escalator came over and helped her get off. We headed to the gate hand in hand only to find out that the gate had been changed. The change was going to require another trip downstairs to the tram. The gate agent agreed to find a wheelchair for my new friend as I didn’t think she would survive another episode with an escalator. I waited for the chair to come then convinced her to get on it and let the wheelchair pusher take her to the correct gate. As she was being wheeled away she smiled really big at me and said “thank you,” probably the full extent of her English vocabulary. This being the Thanksgiving weekend, everyone in a rush, it was great to see so many people come together in their own little ways to help this very scared lady get on her flight to Los Angles.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Personally, I know that I am blessed with a “whole lot of abundance!!” I have a wonderful supportive family, good friends all over the country and pretty much all the material things a girl could want.