OMG Running Adventures

Well, hellloooooo everyone. I've been totally slacking in the blogging department! But nothing has really been going on lately, so I didn't want to bore the pants off of anyone. It's not you it's me.

Today, however, I have a story. See, yesterday I had my first real full-on aerial lesson since I got hurt three months ago. It went well. I dunno. I could do stuff I didn't think I would be able to do, but I got really tired really fast and my grip strength is totally not what I'm used to anymore. It's unnerving to be way off the ground and upside down and to think, "Holy cow! My hands want to stop holding on RIGHT NOW!" Scary. I think I'll be okay, though. Everyone and their mother is like, "Don't worry! You'll get it back quickly!" and I'm like, "Heh! Yeah! Okay!" because no matter how quickly it comes back, it won't be quick enough for me.

Anyway, moving on. So I woke up this morning SO SORE (as was to be expected) and I thought, "Hey, maybe I should take a little run to get the kinks out," and I decided to take Chelsea with me. So we made it down to the lake where I always run and (here's where the OMG comes in) there was a race going on right on my usual running path! Okay, that's not really that big of a deal. It is a popular running/short race spot and it is a Saturday. But it quickly occurred to me that this wasn't your ordinary 5K walk/run. For example, there were about 100 runners or so and they seemed to be running in teams or pairs. One person in each team or pair was carrying--get this--a pineapple. A real one. I could smell them (the pineapples, not the runners). Also, many of the runners were wearing all manner of "Hawaiian" accoutrements. Grass skirts? Check. Coconut bras? Check. Flowered shirts? You bet. Weird.

Not only that, but they weren't running along the path like I was. They were for some of the route (I spent a great deal of time dodging these people and running in the opposite direction--against them, but I figured it's a public park, the race isn't that big, and I wasn't actually in anyone's WAY, so it was okay), but at certain places along the path, arrows would direct them to run straight for the water and then back for some reason, and THEN (this is the best part) there was this weird obstacle course (sponsored by REI, according to the one banner I saw along the entire race route) where the runners had to climb over a little barrier, then a larger barrier, then one or more of them had to run to one side of a really tall barrier that had tires at the top, while another member of the team had to attempt to THROW THE PINEAPPLE THROUGH ONE OF THE TIRES from the other side. I know, right?

So, of course, once the pineapple made it through one of the tires, it almost always landed--hard--on the ground, resulting in leaky, sticky pineapples that the runners had to pick up and run around the course with AGAIN. I don't know how many laps these people had to do. Maybe I should have asked one of the HIGH SCHOOL CHEERLEADERS in FULL REGALIA who served as route guides (pointing their pompoms in the right direction, no less). Confusing!

Anyway, I can't really do the experience justice, but I had to try. It was rather surreal. I wonder why I'm suddenly craving pineapple?