there are perfect days

Every now and then, there's a day that defies negativity. A day so perfect that it couldn't have been scripted better.

I got up on Sunday at 6:00 a.m. to head to Montrose Harbor for Teb's Troops 5K. This is a race benefitting melanoma research; I run it every year. One of the sponsors is my old firm. I was a bit apprehensive about seeing people that I might not want to see again, but my reasons for running the race outweighed any of those thoughts. When we left the house and as we were navigating all of the circuitousness caused by the filming of Transformers 3, the sun was shining. But as we arrived at the race site, a weird, chilly fog had rolled in. PERFECT! I love to run in cool, overcast conditions. We found Teresa and another friend (Michelle) almost immediately and hung around with them til race time. As is my usual routine, I turned to Coach T for a little pep talk. This time she used snack food as a motivation-- "think of all the junk we can eat after we run!"

I typically know as soon as soon as I hear the starting horn whether or not I'm going to have a good race. I was worried about the foot problems that have been bothering me. Still, I knew that the weather was a gift that rarely appears in late July and I wanted to seize the opportunity and put my best effort out there. Leave it all on the course as I paid homage to the gorgeous lakefront directly beside me. I ran with a determination that sometimes eludes me. When I wanted to slow down, I didn't. Approaching the finish line, I saw T dangling a bag of Cheez-its at me. It's hard to cross the finish line gracefully when you're doubled over with laughter, but I did. She screamed at me, "You kicked ass!! That's a PR for you!!" She was right. It was. I came in at 28:51, which is 30 seconds faster than I've ever done that distance before. Felt fantastic.

We hung around for a while after the race to, yes, eat snacks and also to see T climb the podium as the third-place winner. She defines speed without arrogance and my heart bursted with pride for her as they announced her name.

Although the cloudy and chilly conditions were great for the race, they were less than ideal for phase two of the day-- an outing to Great America. But nevertheless, we headed in that direction after a quick stop in Skokie to change out of running clothes and into bathing suits/shorts. Just after passing the Lake Forest Oasis, the sun came out. The lines getting into the park were long but we trotted to Hurricane Harbor to establish base camp and hit the lazy river.

I like the wave pool and there's a water slide that I'll do (and one that I'm considering) but the lazy river is my mecca. After situating yourself in a donut-shaped inner tube (butt in the hole, legs and arms draped over the sides), you meander gently down the river. Around you is a concert of canned classic summer tunes (Kokomo, Margaritaville) and the screams of the brave souls on the Tornado. Every so often you pass through waterfalls or water arches. If you slip your legs down into the center of the tube and navigate you can sometimes avoid the waterfalls. Most often I "let nature take its course." It's the repetition of wet spray then the hot, drying sun that I find so satifying. It's impossible not to live in the moment.

After the park, it was back on the expressway to head to Taste of Lincoln on the city's north side. Yep, you guessed it-- a concert by 7th Heaven! This is one of the more crowded fests, but there's also a lot to see-- various t-shirt and jewelry vendors, not to mention music, food and people watching galore. We sampled some chicken and fried rice and a few cold beers and laughed at the Lincoln Park trixies who were too refined to use the porta-potties. About 20 minutes before the show, I maneuvered myself to my typical location-- right side of the stage, first row. The band is getting more and more well known and this is reflected in the crowd size. I always manage to clasp hands with Keith and exchange smiles with Mark. Glow sticks and good cheer abounded. They put on a high energy show and I danced and screamed and sang until about 10:30 p.m.

On the way home, my feet and legs were sore from the running and dancing, my hair smelled like chlorine and I was tired from all of the sun and frolic. Like I said, a perfect day.