Sunday, August 7, 2011

Trail to Remember


This past Saturday marked the 12 years my sister closed her eyes to this world and opened them in heaven. Many things have come to pass during these years and I still miss her which will never change. A friend of mine asked me if I wanted to join her with a few others to the Angle Island 12 k run on August 6th. I thought to my self "well that's a day I usually stay away from other people and just sit in solace" I decided to join them and change the trail race into a run to remember.

I haven't been training hard core like many of my friends since I decided to take a break from full marathons this year. But I have been training lightly by running shorter distances and walking up hills rather then charging them. This type of training I thought would not help me for this Angel Island run but it did!
As we all lined up and waited for the count down to hit the trail I reminded myself to enjoy this and take breaks whenever I felt like it. Once we started my friends were off and I trailed in the back of the pack with a smile. I smiled because the Island was soooo beautiful and because I didn't need to prove anything. I was simply here to take time and enjoy the trail and take the needed breaks I longed for when I was training for full marathons. I must say the trail didn't seem super tough. Yes there was hills big ones! but I walked them and looked around thinking of my sister and forgetting the stresses that wait for me in my daily life. I talked to people along the way and took pictures when I remembered to.

The last two miles I flew down the trail since it was down hill and it was a blast. The girl in front of me asked if I wanted to pass and I said "no your doing fine, I like this pace" I followed that girl all the way to the end. usually I want to pass people on the trail but this time I didn't I was ok being at the back of the pack. Alex I am sure was smiling along with me as I ran and hiked this Angel Island trial . It was a great day to remember her and I had her picture pinned to my water pack and a few times I looked down to see her smile in the picture just so I felt like she was
really there. I know she was.

me and friends at lunch

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