Lonely at the Top

In all the time I've been training for this half marathon, I've had as my motivation the vision of the Cricket and The Boy waiting for me at the finish line, cheering me on. I imagine crossing the finish line with an hour and 59 minutes on the clock and being handed my baby girl over the barricade so I can hug her in my sweaty, tired arms.

But that is not to be. The Boy is a barista at Starbuck's, and dutifully requested this Sunday off so that he could be there for my race. But the cards are against us. Two of his coworkers are getting married to each other that day, so of course they can't work, and several others can't because they're attending the wedding. To complicate things further, this weekend is Gay Pride weekend, and the boy surmises he must be one of ten straight baristas in the city of Seattle, because the rest of his coworkers will be at the parade. So, it's basically impossible for him to get someone to sub for him, even though we've been thinking about and planning for this for months.

What makes me sad is that there will be NO ONE at the finish line for me. No family, no friends, nothing. No one to share this victory with, no one cheering me on. It just seems like such a let down after all the months I've spend getting ready to meet this challenge. The Cricket will be at home with a babysitter and the boy will be pulling espresso shots for strangers.