ORW - Running with a Maniac

Sunday, I had a fabulous time running the Ottawa Race Weekend half marathon. I ran with a guy I've chatted with on-line but never met before. It went really well and was a good time.

I was staying in a hotel near the start. This allowed me to use a nice bathroom very soon before the race. I sallied forth at 8:40 for a race that started at nine. It was easy for Ken to spot in my running mania top. He hugged me.

I insisted on starting in the first wave. My check out time became my motivating factor for running a relatively fast race.  Ken and I talked of ultra marathoning and fueling. He asked me why I went to a monastery and how I got kicked out. IronGirl passed us. I said, "Congratulations!" She said, "for what?" Then at the same time we both said, "Being here." Ken knew I would need a porta stop. He pointed out some "good" (no line) portas. With 10k left to go, the bands started energizing us and the energy increased. We picked up our pace. My heel was hurting. during the last 5k or so. Miss Smiles cheered for us. Avis cheered for us.
I finished happy (2h17).

There was a massive human traffic jam right after the finish line. I waded through it, picked up my medal and then exited out the side. I then jogged to the hotel and in 15 min took a shower and packed up; getting out by 12 pm. Whew!
Then I went to the Runningmania meet and greet, meeting several new maniacs. Then I left with JoJo and drove to her home town. This morning, I took a picture of my medal with her flowers.

Then, we took C-Moss for a walk on some trails nearby. It started raining so we cut it a bit short. Then we went driving around Kingston ON and also walked around town. I succombed to my curiosity regarding Vibram 5 Fingers and bought a pair on-sale. Low and behold, Spaff wandered into the store. OMG! What a treat to meet one of my ultra idols, whose blog I read.

Tomorrow, I'm leaving Kingston early and flying home. I will be glad to get home and relax for a day before going to work. I have trouble being surrounded by people so much. I miss my quiet pondering. So, that is the insite for this report. Going to races and meeting others is fun. But not for me as a way of life. Just being quiet is my practice. My mind is quiet and I can hear the inner Voice. "Being" alone lives in the kingdom. It is hard to just be with others around. "Being" is forgotten.

My new toy: