9/11 - Remembering and Learning

Another great practice!  We started by remembering the folks who were killed 9/11/2001.  Coach Jessi ran her first race, a community 5k, as a fundraiser for the family of a friend who died at the Towers.  She also led us in a prayer.  Then we went out to conquer the hills...

This practice was my longest run - 9.2 miles in 100 minutes.  This was not my quickest time but it was a tough course.  It started at Vassault Park and went thru the rolling hills of the North Proctor neighborhood.  The hill training on Wednesday sure came in handy!  As I went up the hills I could just focus on the form to take my mind off the length of the hill.  It helps to focus on the basics when the task seems big, overwhelming and/or scary.  You can do a few simple things over and over...you will make it.

You know, that helped on 9/11/2001 too.  I remember where I was when I got that news - I had just dropped my parents off at SeaTac for a non-stop flight to Cleveland, OH.  I had just got on the freeway when I heard the news report: Two planes had been hijacked and flown into the World Trade Center.  It felt like a kick in the gut; how many other hijackers were out there?  Were they headed to Cleveland?  As I drove the ramp from I-405 to Hwy 167 I heard the announcement that all commercial flights were grounded.  What a relief!!!  My parents would be safe and sound at SeaTac Airport - in a crowd of thousands.  Neither of us had a cell phone at that time.  How did I find them?  A simple basic that my Mother taught me - if we go somewhere and become separated, go back to the place where we came in.  Sure enough, there were Mom & Dad standing on the curb where I dropped them off. They knew exactly where to go and I knew exactly where to look. 

Whether it's running or life, it's good to learn the basics; they can get you up the hills.