The Hyannis Half Marathon

You know what's a really good way to distract yourself from grieving? Run 13.1 miles!

On Sunday, I did just that in Hyannis, MA. Since my grandfather's funeral happened on the day he died, there was no way I could get out to California for it. So I figured that since I stayed here, I might as well do the race I'd been preparing for. I decided it would be a memorial run for him. He wasn't a runner. He was damn stubborn, though, and wasn't one to be deterred from doing what he wanted. So I channeled this energy and ran with Dr. Bombay.

The race didn't seem particularly well-organized in that there weren't really enough Port-o-lets. The race started when we were still waiting in line to pee. Which meant that by the time we crossed the starting line, we were all the way at the back of the pack. This led to passing lots of people and sometimes getting stuck behind particularly large, slow-moving herds. I did not push anyone out of my way, though it occurred to me. I will say that there is something very, very satisfying about passing so many people. Mwahahaha!

Luckily, the weather was nice: Clear, in the mid-30s, and with only a light breeze. I know, my definition of "nice" has changed since moving to Massachusetts. I ended up running faster than I thought I would (8:13 miles). I found this especially surprising because of how slow and crowded the start and first few miles were. But, hey, in a race that long, I guess you've got plenty of time to make it up. Dr. Bombay also ran faster than he anticipated and we both ended up finishing long before Todd, our official photographer for the event, made it to the finish line. Sorry -- no pictures of me sweaty and half-dead. But here's a picture of us waiting in line for the Port-o-let:


I think channeling my grandfather's stubbornness helped propel me. Every time I wanted to stop and stretch in somebody's front yard (because, damn, were my legs tired), I just told myself (yelled internally, actually) to keep going, @#$! So that's what I did.

Thanks, G-pa.