"You're not a pussy, are you?"

Those were the words spoken by Marc's impromptu Capitol Peak 55k running partner, Marie, from Canada. I think he would've liked a more relaxed run, but Marie wouldn't have any of that. Now he knows what its like to really race. They ran the hills and pushed each other more than Marc usually pushes himself. They both finished in 6:56, which I think is pretty good considering the course and Marc's habit of not training. He hadn't run since the rumble two weeks prior. And probably won't run again until the Mac on May 10th. After that, "training" for Cascade Crest starts with runs in the gorge. I guess all these races have just been a warm-up. But maybe he's on to something by not burning out too early. We'll see!



We drove up to Olympia on Friday evening to spend the weekend with Sharon. Marc and I woke up at 4:30 am so I could drive him to the trailhead in time for the 6 am start. I guess I could have let him drive himself. But I'm the navigator of the family and he'd probably still be out there looking for the start without me. It may be his report, but its my blog so I have free reign to diss him a bit if I want:) The weather was cool, but the sky was clear. It was going to be a great day for a run! After seeing Marc off I drove back to Olympia and spent an enjoyable morning drinking coffee, eating pastries and walking around the capitol and farmer's market with Sharon and the little guy.

We arrived back at the start/finish area a bit after noon. The fast guys and gals were already done and hanging out. After exploring the creek for awhile, we walked about 100 ft up the trail to wait for Marc. We were at a spot where you could see the runners up the hill, but it took about 5 minutes for them to wind around the trail to our spot. I figured Marc would be done between 6:30 and 7 hours and I was right. We missed him at the far off view, but just before 1 pm, we saw him and his new friend coming towards us. I had just enough time to snap a few pictures. Apparently Marie had caught up to Marc around the 10 mile mark and forced him to keep up. She's former military....there was no arguing with her and Marc is no pussy! : ) so he complied. But then there were times that she was lagging and Marc pulled her along. So he wasn't totally whipped. : ) They were a good pair. She's training for western states. Good luck Marie!



We encouraged Marc to soak his feet in the cool creek. He wasn't brave enough for the full soak, but did get his ankles wet.






Later that afternoon we headed downtown for the procession of the species. Apparently this is the big event of the year in Olympia. And it did seem like all of the city was either in the parade or watching it. There were lots of different groups dressed up as different animal or insect types. Lots of flowers too! Most were very creative. It seemed like a good excuse for cute little girls to wear butterfly wings and aging baby boomers to relive their hippie days. After the parade we were ready for dinner and beer (root beer for the little guy). So we found a great seafood/burger restaurant by the water and enjoyed some pints and good food.

Sunday we got to sleep in and spend a lazy morning. After hitting the farmers market on the way out of town we drove the 2 hours home. Marc and I talked logistics for a double marathon weekend some day. So I guess he really is a maniac now.

I got my MRI results which confirmed the CT scan and I've been referred on to a neurosurgeon. But I'm not really that anxious about it. My last post was actually meant to be positive. Thanks for all your supportive comments. We walked a lot on Saturday and by the end of the day my leg was feeling it. But it seemed to resolve itself by Sunday. I take that as a very good sign. Previously, once it started hurting it would just keep getting worse. I'm trying not to get my hopes too high, but maybe I'm on the mend. In January, before my fall, I was on a real high. I've decided I need to start living my life like that again. So I'm back to walking to work while listening to my trail running podcasts, a smile on my face. I'll keep adding to what I can do and see where that takes me!