So here's what Chad was doing on Saturday morning (while I was freezing my tail off cheering him on and taking photos):
Don't kill your eyes or grab the magnifying glass (Mom!). Here's the journaling (and, as always, you can click on the image to enlarge it):
For me, it’s scrapbooking, but for Chad, his “thing” is running. He says he enjoys the alone time, the way it makes him feel better, the fact that it helps keep his weight under control and having races to look forward to. (I just love that he has something that makes him happy!) He might go months at a time without running, but he always comes back to it eventually. And once he gets started, he usually stays on his running kick for months on end. Right now, he’s training (again) for the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon next May, so he’s running regularly and getting back into the race scene. • Today was his first organized race in quite some time, and it’s one he will likely never forget. The Outback Scramble was held at Eagle Creek Park in Indy. It was not your typical race. The brochure hinted at the fact that the race was a bit on the scary side (“The Horror...The Fright!” it said), but I don’t think Chad had any clue what was ahead of him. These photos just can’t do it justice. I didn’t accompany him on the main trail, which he described as “nasty.” Actually, there wasn’t a trail at all. After a short run down the road to spread themselves out, they were led into the woods and basically let loose. There were pink ribbons marking a choice few of the hundreds of trees along the way, but there were no true trails or paths. In the woods, they went up and down ravines, hills and rocky slopes, sometimes needing ropes to assist in going down—and then back up—the steep slopes. They ran through unharvested fields of winter wheat (with a healthy amount of weeds mixed in), too. By the end, there were some runners with bloody legs (they had rewards for the one with the bloodiest), but thankfully Chad only had a bunch of small prickers/burrs stuck in his running pants and a few small bloody marks on his upper thighs. The fact that it was freezing outside (40 degrees, wind chill in the lower 30s) actually helped him in that regard. Even with three layers of shirts on, he crossed the finish line with frost on his hat (and a small burr in his chin), and my hands were so frozen I could barely take photos at that point. But he did incredibly well, especially considering the conditions. There were 316 runners, and he finished 69th, sixth in his age group. The first runner crossed the line about 34 minutes into it, and Chad finished in 45:18. Not bad! He is running around an eight-minute mile on a flat course, so to do about an 11-minute mile in very rugged terrain is pretty darn good, I think. I’m pretty proud of him! • I asked him a couple of times today if he’d go back and do it again. “Maybe,” was abut the closest to a commitment he would come! • Nov. 8, 2008
And on those little journaling strips that are cock-eyed on the right page, text from the brochure:
{From the brochure...fair warning!}
Warning! To those that have never done the Outback...let this be a warning to you...this is REAL XC (Cross Country) - not that pansy, run-along-grass routine...expect to get downright dirty!
NO REFUNDS if you get lost, tear your new running outfit, lose your shoes, arrive late, get mud all over yourself, become bloody, get prickers stuck all over you, twist your ankle, lose your watch, get chased by bees, fall into a creek...you get the picture!
I think the journaling about says it all for this one. It was nice to have some time with my hubby, supporting him and his hobby. His running is usually something he does alone in the evenings, and the last time he ran the Mini, I wasn't able to be there (had to be with G for his first baseball game). So, despite the cold, it was fun to watch him do his thing...and have some time for just the two of us.