I was running...

Well ladies, this post is going to be short on visual aids, but long on content pertaining to running...and belly dancing. So try to contain your excitement.
First, Papa Ocho pointed out to HP08 on Sunday that she never blogged about their harrowing journey over 13.1 miles of treacherous downtown Phoenix and Tempe in January. The Ocho offers up her apologies to Papa Ocho and assures him that the lack of blogging should not reflect her love for him or the extreme impact the run had on her psyche and spirit. So...here is goes...
Back in the middle of January, HP08 and Senor Ocho traveled out to the great state of Arizona for a little wedding planning and a lot of running. Ocho, Papa Ocho and Senor Ocho had signed up to run the PF Changs Rock and Roll (half) marathon and they had all been training through the bitter months of December. Well actually, HP08 and Senor Ocho's December was bitter, Papa Ocho's was fairly mild. Either way, all three had been training for months, but nothing would fully prepare them for what awaited them in the big city to the North, err... North of Tucson at least...
The happy couple flew in to Tucson on Friday, stepped off the plane and out of the airport to realize that it was freakin' freezing outside! It seriously was! And not just freezing from the Arizona stand point, freezing by DC standards, which meant record lows in Arizona. Arizonans didn't know what to do with themselves...pipes were bursting, plants were freezing, old people were crying...it wasn't pretty. Anyway, hoping that the world would come to its senses and praying the global warming would finally pay off, Ocho and Senor Ocho spent Friday and Saturday morning nailing down some details for the wedding and then the whole happy Ocho family (minus Sister Ocho) drove up to Phoenix to spend the night before the big race. Let's just say that Al Gore and his Oscar did nothing for the Ochos that weekend and by race time the temperature had only managed to reach about 30 degrees. HP08 had assumed that even though it was January, she would be fine in her tankini and pants for the big race. She ended up having to borrow an old turtle neck from Mama Ocho and ditch it on the side of the road about 4 miles in. So, they're freezing their Ocho's off and to make matters worse, HP08 and Senor Ocho were still recovering from their marathon pains and Papa Ocho had pulled his calf muscle just a couple of weeks before the big event. Muscles were instantly stiff and no one loosened up or had feeling in their fingers until about mile 6 or 7. At one point, HP08 took a wrong step and torqued her knee in an odd way causing the Ocho crew to walk for a few hundred feet. They could only stop running for a short spurt, though, because the cold instantly caused them to start stiffening up again. Either way, all three Ochos were able to see some scenic, and not to scenic, parts of Phoenix and Tempe and though HP08 may have been overheard uttering the phrase "Where is the GOD DAMN FINISH LINE!?!?" at about mile 12.5, they all had a good time and were pretty proud of themselves. However, to date, this is the only race that HP08 has run where she crossed the finish line and made a beeline straight for the medical tent. As soon as the Ocho digs her photos out of one of her many boxes, she will get them scanned in and posted. For now, here is a little visual to keep you stimulated:





(The start line of the 2006 P.F. Chang Rock and Roll marathon)













Well the Ocho has to get back to work, so keep your eyes open for upcoming posts on HP08, the belly dancing wonder, and the 2007 Cherry Blossom 10 mile.

-Ocho out