the best of humanity.

if you want to remember that there is goodness left in this crazy world, go to a race.

run in a race.

cheer at a race.

casually drive by a race.

and you will see it. 

you will see it in the determination of the runners.

some with less than 2% body fat.

at the front of the pack. 

running to win.

you will also see it where the pack has slowly diminished to one lone runner.

an elderly man.

running just in front of the trucks, signaling the end of the race.

he does not run to win, or to prove himself, or to share his accomplishment on instagram.

he runs to remind us all of the power of determination and sheer willpower. 

he runs because it's never too late.

then, there are the fans.

you run by and they cheer for you.

they don't even know your name, yet they remind you that you're strong and look amazing and are doing so great.

they hold signs that make you laugh {"may the course be with you" "hurry mom. i'm bored." and "you are a beauty who runs like a beast."}

they proudly ring cowbells and shake pompoms.

they dance and cheer and scream.

and sometimes, if you're lucky, they bring their own sound system and blast "what does the fox say" in the middle of the park.

today, i experienced the magic that is running a race.

it's so much more than just completing 13.1 miles, although i know it's a great accomplishment.

it's all that leads up, all that is included on race day.

there are the miles and miles spent training.

all the conversations with my favorite running partners.

the commitment and the discipline and all those hours spent pounding the pavement. 

it's setting a goal and then actually accomplishing it.

it's the energy of the day.

the fellow runners, the spectators, a city awake and ready to cheer and support.

it's the best of humanity.

running down the city street.

lining the sidewalks. 

and most importantly, accepting my flat butt in a pair of spandex.

so, if you get a chance, run a race.

or

be the best darn cheerleader your city has ever seen.

i promise you won't be disappointed.

surprise! now dominate that 26.2.

ever since my sister lele started talking about running the chicago marathon, i knew i would be there.

she did fly all the way from chicago for my marathon last year and ran the last 100 meters with me in her toms, so i knew it was my time to return the favor. 

we talked about her race and i would casually mention a "oh, i wish i could be there" or "i'll be cheering for you from denver" nonchalantly and tried to stay as aloof as possible.

and it worked. 

she bought it hook, line, and sinker. 

{and maybe considered not speaking to me because she didn't think i was coming, but that's neither here nor there.}

but...

before i could surprise her in chicago, i had to take some time to visit one of my favorite families in rockford {and pretty much the world for that matter} - the tripodis. 

nothing says welcome home like a good swedish connection breakfast at johnny pamcakes.

we caught up on life over some of the best swedish pancakes in the world and lots of coffee, with little gino providing constant entertainment.

{such an adorable family!}

{i would like you to notice gino's evident excitement about his swedish pancakes in the picture below.}

after i was sufficiently stuffed, it was time to head into the big city and get the surprise underway. 

my dad tried to record the moment but somehow only managed to get footage of the floor, so lele's reenactment of her surprise face will have to suffice.

she said she got teary, so i would say that's a success.

we spent the afternoon with our amazing host becky, trying to keep lele sane and calm and reminding her that she was going to dominate that marathon.

and marathon domination obviously begins with pad thai, so it was off to a local noodle shop for dinner.

{aren't my parents the cutest?}

{lele's marathon running partner and good friend eryka joined us with her husband for the evening.}

lele had her priorities right the night before the race...

-lay everything out and take a picture of it all

-streeeeeeeetch {even if it's only for 2 seconds while i'm taking your picture}

and 

-watch an inspirational marathon documentary on netflicks to get yourself really pumped up

sunday morning was race day, and i knew i wanted to see lele at least once during the race and once at the finish line. 

i stumbled upon mile 8 and camped out for a while, screaming and cheering for total strangers...

until lele and eryka appeared.

i was a total nut. 

screaming, cheering, and even joining the race in my cowboy boots.

i needed more face to face cheer time, so i decided it was completely rational to join on in.

after they ran out of sight, i used my handy spectator guide to try to make it to mile 12.

unfortunately, i was too late, but i did get to take in some sights in the city as i made my way to the finish line.

my parents took the train in for the day, so after a lot of "where are you?"

"well, i see a bridge" and other such nondescript communication, we finally found each other! 

my friend nikki hitched a ride with them, so we got to hang out for the afternoon! 

sweet reunions all around.

no spectator is complete without an encouraging sign to cheer on their favorite runner.

if this doesn't spell y.o.u.a.r.e.a.w.e.s.o.m.e. i don't know what will.

i had to include a little sweetness in there too:) 

after throwing a few elbows, we finally made it to the stands to watch all the runners at the final stretch.

after a lot of looking, a lot of screaming, a lot of cheering, and a few teary moments...

we spotted the lady of the hour! 

a marathoner! 

i can't even describe how proud i was of her at this moment.

after the race, we reconnected with our favorite girl wrapped in foil.

and it was time to EAT! 

before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to nikki and our parents:( 

the rest of the afternoon included a veeeeery slow walk back to becky's apartment, some pure relaxation, wine and pizza for dinner, and then, just like that...

she was out.

dreaming of weekends that will no longer include hours and hours spent running.

oh, how sweet that will be.

i feel so blessed that i was able to be a small part of such a huge accomplishment.

i am so proud of you lele.

and coming from personal experience, if you decide to take a year off from running,

there will be no judgement from this girl.

you are amazing.

put on your gorilla suit and take out your wallet.

october is here {whoop, whoop}...

and that means the gorilla run is just a few weeks away! 

this year friends and family will be coming from all over the country to run in memory of mr. lesley's cousin emma, and we need your help!

last year we fundraised $1,700.00 for the mountain gorilla conservation fund, and we want to top it this year.

please, please {with sugar on top}, visit our fundraising page and add your name to our list of donors.

your love and support will mean the world to everyone who loved emma and want to continue to honor her life by remembering the animals she loved so dearly.

and if you live in denver, i can't think of a better way to spend your saturday than dressing up in a gorilla suit, running a 5k, and totally confusing everyone when they see hundreds of gorillas running down the street. 

donate? i'll love you forever.

run with us? i'll really love you forever.

spread the word? my heart is yours.

the color run.

yesterday morning bright and early, mr. lesley, heather, and myself donned our white attire and set off for the color run.

we made it to the starting line...

watched all the white girls rave...

and prepared to get our walk/jog on.

we found new friend kim,

and other new friend jenny, 

and we were off! 

how does this color run work, you ask?

well, you run (obvi) until you get to the color stations, where volunteers along the sides cover you in colored powder that partially suffocates you for a couple seconds.

it's awesome.

after we got to the finish line...

and took the required group photos...

heather and i searched for more color to drowned in...

and found our way to the stage...

where the real party was going on. 

color, dancing, fist pumping...

it was all there in abundance.

and since we couldn't keep all the fun to ourselves, 

heather and i (well mostly heather:) attacked mr. lesley with some red powder and possibly died his skull pink for the rest of his life:)

we ended up the morning with jumping shots...

(heather wouldn't have it any other way)

and a couple of close ups...

you know, so you could see the beginnings of my sweat mustache.

then it was time to wash up, eat up, and relax for the rest of the day poolside with the towles. 

(oh, and drink watermelon margaritas. thanks tara!)

what a glorious saturday.