Spur of the moment 5K...from a distance.

I found at yesterday that Holly had randomly signed up for a 5K in her hometown in Utah. It was a spur of the moment kind of thing. She hadn't run since the Ragnar, just before her husband died. But she signed up for the race, anyway. When I heard about this, I knew what I had to do.

After a few text exchanges with her, it was agreed that I would run 3.1 miles here in Alaska at the same time she was running 3.1 miles in Utah. But listen to how awesome this is: her mother-in-law (Shane's mom) was going to do the same thing. Then I heard from other members of our Ragnar DC team that said they were going to run, too. At the same exact time. And one of my besties that lives in California said she would run with me, too.

Think about it -- we had friends and family from Alaska (8am), California(9am), Utah(10am), Idaho(10am), all the way to Virginia(12pm) running at the exact same time, the exact same distance. All with each other in mind.

I don't know how the others felt about it, but I'll tell you my experience. I haven't run since before the Ragnar DC, and if you've been reading my blog you'll know that I've really been struggling with wrapping my head around running again. But knowing that Holly (who suffered a much more significant loss than I did) was getting back on the wagon, well, it was the push that I needed. And I knew that I could get through the run. Because Holly was running with me. And I was running with her.

My alarm went off at 7am, and it was still pitch black outside. And cold. So cold. It was a brisk 32 degrees, actually. i ate a slice of bread, drank some water, and began the pre-race clothing assembly. I bundled up in my arm warmer sleeves, running shirt, running jacket, gloves, and beanie. I strapped on my iPod (I made a special 30-minute playlist just for this occasion), grabbed my camera and phone, and exactly 8am on the dot, I took off.

See! Snow and semi-darkness!

I think I actually started out too fast, I had a lot of adrenaline going!! I knew that somewhere in Utah, the gun went off and Holly was running, too. And I got a text from my friend in Cali telling me she had her shoes on, ready to start.

It was cold, I could see my breath, there was snow on the mountains, and I was smiling. The run went by fast. I thought about Holly, and I thought about all of my friends and teammates who were running somewhere in the U.S. And of course, I thought about Shane. In my head I feel like he was watching all of us, cheering for all of us from the sidelines. When I was feeling tired, I felt his cheers. At one point during the run I had a significant hill to climb (unavoidable in AK), and I was feeling spent. And I thought to myself, "Okay, Shane. I see you at the top of the hill. I'm coming!"

I finished 3.1 miles in 31:18. Sure, not even remotely close to my fastest 5K, but I wasn't going for time. I was just freakin' excited that I ran more than a 1/2 mile, and I didn't have a panic attack. And I finished.

I texted Holly and my Cali friend (Michelle). I found out Michelle finished in 31:27. I want to share a couple texts that Holly and I exchanged after our run.

Me: "Finished in 31:18. I love you. It felt good to run knowing you, your mom, and our team was running at the same time. I think Shane was cheering for all of us at the finish line. :)"
Holly: "34 something. Slow but steady and never stopped! That was for my Shanerd!"
Me: "I didn't stop either! And I bet he was waiting for you at the end yelling, 'Go Holly!' It was a good run."

And it was a good run. I imagine that if Holly and I were actually in the same state, we'd look a little like this:

Sorry, Holly! Our faces are just too priceless! I love your guts! And good job on your fantastic run!