The Race is On

So I had several clear indications that I was not to run the race set out for me on Sunday. My husband asked why I would do it to myself. I had to get childcare, illegally purchase a ticket on Craigslist for $45, manage Navy Pier for the race bib (a long and expensive traffic jam) and on top of it all, I lost the bib number just before leaving, which is the item you need to get into the event (and time it). On top of all of that, it took over twenty minutes from the start time of the race to even get to the start line. That left me with almost 20,000 recreational runners and walkers to manage. I cut along sidewalks, ran the outer edges, slid between people and tried my best to feel like I was running, but in the end I was moved by the forces around me. The redemption in it all is that I raced my way from Grant Park to Foster beach, feeling both tired and exhilarated from the sixteen miles of faster speed and with the the sense that no matter what the pace, I could keep on going.