Felicia Stole My Flag Shorts!

 

 

 

 

 

I haven’t worn the American Flag shorts since last year and I don’t think they have shrunk in the wash so if they are tight, I can’t blame it on shrinkage. I suppose I should try them on before tomorrow’s Firecracker 10K at Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz, California.  

This is not an easy run. I meant to train for it. I really did. I ran a few times a couple of weeks ago. But there were all those birthdays to celebrate. It’s hard to run after Princess cake and champagne. Maybe if I eat some spaghetti tonight, I will be able to do the tough, uphill run tomorrow. My goal is to finish no matter how long it takes. 

Most likely, I will get a medal even if it takes two hours. Last year I got third in my age category (there were only three of us). If history is any indicator, I may be the ONLY one in my age category this year. Yes, I went up a notch. Heh, heh, heh. If I live long enough, I could become the champion of the world! In something. Oldest female boxer?!

As the Firecracker people put it: “Great Warm-Up for the Wharf to Wharf” which takes place the fourth Sunday of July. I ran my first Wharf to Wharf in 1982 when I was a real runner. At the time I lived in San Francisco and one of my stewardess friends said I simply had to run this race because they had bands on almost every corner and it was a ton-o-fun. Being a City Snob at the time, I thought nothing could be as good as the “Bay to Breakers” in San Francisco which was over seven miles and people dressed in crazy costumes.

Turns out she was right! It was so much fun I ran it every year for many years sometimes traveling from afar. When I lived in Miami I came back for it and combined it with a visit to Shakespeare Santa Cruz. Coming from Costa Rica was more challenging and I missed a few during that time. 

Funny thing, my number arrived in the mail today. There’s no getting out of it now. 

Now that I am living in Capitola again, there is no excuse. The sporadic training that I squeeze in is usually done with my friend, Kathy. We are the last two runners of our group of eight women who ran regularly in Nisene Marks Park, a spectacular redwood forest in Aptos, California. The rest of the group has gone to walking for a variety of reasons. Kathy and I are lucky to be free of knee or hip problems so we keep going.

Kathy and Carole Jean

 

We have lost count as to how many times we have run the Wharf to Wharf, but what we do know is we no longer care about our time – we just want to finish. In one piece.

As to tomorrow’s event, I will be the sole representative. Kathy will be busy with her growing family on the
Fourth of July holiday. She is Super G-Ma. (Grandma). She’s no Granny-in-a rocking chair, that’s for sure. Although she does rock! 

I am thinking of asking Felicia the Flamingo to run it for me since the shorts look so good on her. But, she has a knee problem. You know, with them being backward and all. So, I guess I’ll wiggle into the shorts and think about pancakes. The reward at the end of the race is a pancake breakfast. I eat them once a year at the Firecracker 10K. Whoo hoo!

Happy Fourth of July everybody!