On Monday the kids and I ran in the Great Aloha Run. It's an 8.15 mile course and we did it with about 20,000 of our not-so-closest-friends! We were up at 3:45 to get to the Aloha stadium and catch a shuttle to the starting line. The streets were shut down for the runners and I couldn't believe how many people were out at 5 am on a holiday. The race is a non-profit fundraiser for local charities and a great cause to support. Jason and other soldiers ran 6 miles last week to support the cause also. This was quite the experience for us.
It was very crowded and we dodged and weaved through the walkers and tried to stay together. I wore the brightest shirt I own just in case we were separated. We caught up to several friends and chatted while we ran. Ashley, of course being the all-knowing 14-year-old that she is, decided to disregard my advice to train with us, hydrate the day before, stretch, wear comfortable clothing and set a good starting pace. Needless to say, by mile 3 1/2 she was miserable. I'm sure many around us were laughing at the conversation, or whining, that was taking place for the remainder of the race. She finished strong and after telling me this was the "worst day of my life" repeatedly, we are planning to run again next year- she liked the free stuff at the end, which included donuts, water, banana, and a t-shirt. hmmmm.......what kind of motivation am I enticing her with???
Hunter was quite the little competitor. He and I have been training twice a week for this event and he was ready! He did great except for the part where he had to stop and pee in the bushes (while 20,000 people ran by and traffic passed on the other side of the highway). He was at emergency overload; I guess some things never change. He kept a good pace and actually sprinted in the last 1/2 mile with a friend from swimming. We had to walk for about 1/2 mile so Ashley could take a breather. It pretty much killed him to have people passing us as we became the walkers. Where did that competitive spirit come from, I wonder?? I'll have to ask the Monopoly King when I talk to him.
I was glad we did it together and we did have fun. We could barely walk down the stairs or get into the Jeep on Tuesday, but it's all good. I'm thankful for strong and healthy bodies. We ended up finishing with a total time of 1 hr 30 min. I know we were running faster than that because our breaks and short walk slowed us down. Go TEAM Tuten! Next year we will run with Jason.
If you would like to see all of our pictures go to marathonfoto.com, choose the Great Aloha Run 2009, tuten, our race bib numbers were 14133, 14132, 14131.
Hunter
