7 am 5 of the kids signed up for the WX Mario Kart 5k. When it was time to leave, only one came. I lost Anna to a lack of finisher medals, Ash to pukes, Jens&Nena to laziness. Grace toed the line, but couldn't finish. Oops. I didn't wear a watch, but ran hard. I came in at 19:34. I couldn't make a move on the guy in front of me, even though I saw him walking briefly. On the bright side, nobody passed me. I love how races string out. I was trying not to suffer ill-effects of the flu, and felt glad to hold things together. Grace got feeling bad about halfway through, and cut back to the park. I didn't know this, and back-tracked the course for over a mile looking for her. When I got to a family pushing a guy in a wheelchair, I concluded she was no longer attempting the race. I finally found her wandering around the park at 7:50, so a half hour of fruitless searching. I wish I could have found her in time to help her to the finish. No part of a 5k ever feels good, except later in the day when the pukey feeling has subsided. Today I feel a bit more profoundly appreciative of having the capacity to run. On Sunday I visited a fellow in the hospital. He has spent the last quarter century paralyzed from the neck down, and when I left his room, I was just awestruck and uplifted having met him. We visited for over an hour, and he never once complained. We don't know how lucky we are. | 