“While Lizzie Drives up I-95”

A recount of my 24 for 24

While Barry white is pumping in my parents empty nest Toyota trade-in for their mini van; Maggie, Clifford and I are mid-trip to the nations vacationland –Portland Maine, for my favorite type of vacation; a beautiful run. (Beach to Beacon 08)

As I re-tell my early 3:30 am adventures of the day to Clifford , Dad-America keeps repeating the words nuts and crazy, but I am all his so he has no one to blame but himself.

So here is starts with the end…July ends on my favorite day of the year, the day of my birth…how convenient

As of late, stupid decisions seem to escalate in my head in those long moments between deep breaths and dreams at that moment, said ideas seem so sound I wake up believing I should accomplish them. Enter latest; “I should run 24 miles on my 24th birthday” I vocalized this to my new fabulously smoking hot and intelligent roomies and maybe in a moment of lacking intelligence Elle responded with an enthusiastic Yes!

And it has begun; an email out to the boys; some mutual friends and the 1125 Roomies results in the quick set up of a pot-luck pre-run birthday feast. Where long after I had gorged myself on the wonderful veggie fare I tested the limits of my ever present lactose intolerance by devouring the 4 story cheese cream frosted cake.

Tummy turning around 3 am, the one-and-only Sassy Pants delivers a wakeup call of “happy birthday you big freak-baby”. I throw on the running skirt (I am embracing the fact that running makes me smoking hott and I may as well look cute too.) Eliot loads up goodies for me on his bike as my sovereign and sanity keeper and we hit the road for the start of the 4 loops that will bring me 24 miles closer to being tired by 8 am.

The first 5 mins of the run bring me pass my favorite watering hole / tummy filler, Alto Cinco, the boys that feed me two times a day are still drinking in the night before. Looks of disbelief as I trot passed with my spelunking lamp strapped to my forehead and a smile tight across my cheeks.

Round 1 – 8.25 miles; Eliot saved my life as he protected me from crazy men in shady cars. He also helped me not think about the fact that my stomach was quite literally churning cream.

Round 2 - 5.25 miles Missy and Elle start out with me as the is sun still down but peaking over the Syracuse horizon.

Round 3 – 5.25miles The sweet Julie said “No liz, I will not let you run by yourself and stuck it our for some of the loop
NOTE: (when you have moved in with three girls you don’t know, take them for a run at 6 am; you’ll learn if you love ‘em or hate ‘em right away; and I am hoping these lovely ladies feel the prior)

Round 4 – 5.25 miles ;Last but by far not least my girl Jilly hopped in to bring me home and let me be a wee-bit cranky at this point about what now seemed a little bit like “my stupid idea” as she told everyone that we passed that I was running 24 miles that morning.

I finished in a dead sprint with the same smile that was part of my night-lite four darkened hours earlier.

Fast forward 10 hours later - Dad weaves in and out of Mass-hole rush hour traffic en route to our first father daughter race. And I know; that as Jilly said; I am blessed. Blessed for the fact that my feet and knees are as strong and stubborn as my mind; that I have friends who not only support me but join in; and blessed that I have a family I trust with my life; quite literally as I stay “calm” as dad breaks up the butt of the cars in front of me.

It seems that life just gets better with each passing day; there is probably some fabulous reason that there are 24 hours in every day.

From the start of it; it’s going to be a good year.