The eye of the tiger

Other than being an extremely cool place to live, Asheville boasts itself as being one of the more active communities in the Southeast. People of all ages kayak, hike, fish, run, bike, golf and do lots and lots of outside sports on a pretty regular basis. Our year-round mild weather supports it, as do all the crazy, healthy people who sponsor races and events throughout each season. It’s infectious. And after this slightly lazy Midwesterner moved here nearly seven years ago, I decided to take full-advantage of all this place has to offer. And I became a runner.

And let me take a quick pause here to mention that growing up I never really possessed any sort of athletic ability, other than standing under a basket or on the other side of a volleyball net and waving my extremely long arms in the air, or driving a golf ball a mile and then missing a two-foot putt. Thus the extent of my high school sporting career. Awkward Brooke, maybe blocking a few shots but mostly sitting on the bench getting belittled by our team’s fat, pathetic excuse of a volleyball coach. I’m talking to you, Darrell Ehlers. You will be happy to know that you are number one on my People To Give A Piece Of My Mind To list.

I digress. So. I move to Asheville, started running, had a baby and kept running, however now I was pushing another person up and down the killer hills that exist at EVERY intersection within city limits. But luckily all of my favorite friends here liked to run too, and we started a stroller club. Which allows us twice-weekly opportunities to share our hilarious child-rearing stories, catch-up on gossip and trim our backsides. Not to mention the frequent visits Taylor and I make to the gym, allowing me my daily one-hour break and excuse to run off any sort of anxiety that exists from raising a sassy toddler. Right now I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in.

And this weekend all my months and months of pushing Taylor up mountains was put to the test, with me running in 5k races both yesterday and today. I went into yesterday’s event without any real expectations, just wanting to finish the hilly-course in less than 30 minutes and not barf as I crossed the finish line. Here I am with my training partner right before the race, who was still a bit confused as to why we got her up so early:

So, in case you were wondering, I most definitely did NOT upchuck when the race ended. Instead, I ran across the finish line with enough adrenaline that I could have run two more races right then and there. If you’ve never experienced the feeling of finishing a race, go sign up. It’s an unbelievable high. I’m STILL flying. And not only did I finish it, but I KILLED it. I ran the 3.1 mile course in 26 minutes and 44 seconds, placing me 104th out of the 572 runners. Here I am making the final turn - Note the expression on the dude behind me, totally in shock of HOW FAST I AM:

And after I finished, kissed my husband and baby and stretched, I was able to cheer on my good friend, Chele, as she finished running the half-marathon race that was going on at the same time. And, for the third year in a row, I CRIED when she crossed the finish-line. She is a beautiful, running goddess and I am so very, very proud of her.

And this morning I got up and did it all again. Granted, this 5k course was a bit flatter and less hellish, but I pushed myself at the end and actually beat yesterday’s time, clocking in at 26 minutes and change. And, here I am, typing this up almost 12 hours after the run and I’m still riding my finish-line-high.

In your face, Darrell Ehlers.