I was up at 5:30 chugging a poisonous energy drink and wishing the day was behind me.
Speaking of behinds, I studied several of them today as I ran 13.1 miles. There are so many sizes and shapes and consistencies! It nearly impossible to become bored when one has the buttocks of a random stranger pumping or jiggling or joggeling before one's very eyes.
There were old butts. Young butts. Round butts. Flat butts. Man butts. Chick butts. Firm butts. Saggy Butts. Butts shaped like Texas. Well, actually, I just noted one such backside. Texas is the lone star state. The list goes on...
I started to feel a bit self-conscious that the people behind my behind were likewise taking note.
This run was STEEP! I very narrowly escaped vomiting on several occasion which would not have boded well for the behind in front of me.
My favorite observation of the day, however, was the camaraderie that existed on the run. There were people up and down the sidelines with signs that read,
"Looking good!"
"Great job!"
"Way to go!"
"Your behind looks hot in those shorts!"
I may have invented the last one but the rest are true.
In addition, the runners encouraged each other verbally. I smiled and waved and shouted at people I didn't know. They did the same for me.
I felt like I was a valuable part of the human race today. It was a lovely feeling.
The Mormon scripture that kept coming to mind (in the midst of my observations of runners' backsides, of course) was:
And the Lord called his people Zion for they were of one heart and one mind.
We were. Of One Heart. And One Mind. Striving to reach a steep goal on a mountain high. We were Zion in spandex.
Here are a ton of pics starting at 5:30am this morning and ending at the Finish line.
The End
