Bolder Boulder, 2008.

Well folks. It's official. I finally ran a race. After eight years of Hailey practically begging me to run a race, I finally caved. And now that it's over I wouldn't necessarily say I'm ready to sign up for the next one but I will admit it was fun. And I'm actually really proud of myself for crossing the finish line without having to walk. For me, that's quite the accomplishment.

Last night I received my registration package. Hailey signed me up for the race a few weeks ago. Now those of you who know my better half know she's not exactly one for details. And, well, let's just say she certainly missed a pretty important detail when she registered me for this race. Can you spot it?



ME: Hailey, it says here that I'm registered as a lady.

HAILEY: What, let me see?

ME: Right here. You registered me in the female division.

HAILEY: (uncontrollable laughter)

ME: It's not funny.

HAILEY: Hey, well at least you'll probably rank higher.

ME: Gee. Awesome.

I saw Hailey off early this morning. Her start time was two hours before mine. I stayed back and waited for the babysitter. As I was about to leave I got a txt from Hailey telling me to not park in Niwot as I was planning because there was a huge line waiting for the bus. She told me the best place to park was at the Twin Peaks Mall because nobody was there.

Perfect.

I arrived at the Twin Peaks Mall to see what was quite possibly the longest line I had ever laid eyes on. And yes, I've been to Disney Land, Disney World, Epcot Center and a bunch of other places known for their line length. This was the king of long lines. Great, thanks for the tip, Hailey. Luckily, the buses arrived in droves and I eventually found myself sitting on a bus next to some middle-aged mother. Little did she know I was in her division and had plans to totally waste her.

As we passed Niwot I couldn't help but notice a small line of about twelve people.

Finally, we arrived. Thousands upon thousands of runners painted the landscape. I quickly blended in as I made my way to the starting line. The smell of porta potties filled the air. Dark clouds threatened precipitation. No matter. I had a vanilla cream energy bar and a few pieces of Thirst Buster gum (that I bought the night before) in my pocket. I was ready for whatever.

Bring it on.

I found my group and lined up behind the yellow rope. Slowly, we advanced to the official starting line. Eventually, I found myself at the front of the pack, bracing for the starting gun.

BANG!

How exciting! I sprinted off the starting line, running as fast as I could. I quickly caught up to the wave that left before us. Now, understand Hailey signed me up in the "Walk and Jog" division. So the entire road was basically blocked with old grandmothers and little kids.

I bobbed and weaved like a champ. Like a robber eluding police in a high speed freeway pursuit. Before I knew it I was passing the first mile marker.

Along the side of the road was a very long table with volunteers holding out cups of water and Gatorade. Screw that! I had Thirst Buster gum. While others stopped to refuel, I shunned the thought and continued down the road.

It was somewhere between mile one and mile two where my body realized I still had a long ways to go and probably couldn't keep sprinting. Hailey's voice echoed in my mind. "Pace yourself, Peach."

I slowed 'er down. Brought 'er down to fourth gear. Cruise control.

And I ran.

I ran past several drunken bachelors standing shirtless on their front lawn. I ran past a group of cheerleaders who were cheering the runners on. I ran past a slip-n-slide that had been set up for the runners to use. I ran past some dudes handing out beers to all the runners. I ran past a hefty fellow handing out Krispy Kremes. I ran past some dude puking. I ran past a cover band playing Eye of the Tiger. I totally pumped my fist.

I ran down hills and up hills.

I ran and I ran and I ran.

Until, finally I reached the last stretch. I entered the Colorado University Stadium to the tune of thousands. I could see the finish line. Suddenly, the theme song from Karate Kid entered my brain.

"You're the best around. No one's ever gonna bring you down. You're the best around"

I kicked it back into sprint mode, again, bobbing and weaving.

BEEP

And with that little electronic sound recognizing the little chip I had tied to my shoe and recording my race completion, it was over. I had made it. I threw it down to a brisk speed walk. "Walk it off, Babcock, walk it off." I heard someone yelling at me. "Peach!" I looked up and there was Hailey standing in the stands waiting for me. She had a smile from ear to ear. She had waited over eight years to see this.

She couldn't have been happier.



We boarded a bus back to the Twin Peaks Mall. Along the way, we both received txt messages with our race times. Of course, Hailey beat me by a whole ten minutes. I finished in 61:01. It was certainly good enough for me.



Later this evening we checked the official race results online. Turns out just over 500 women beat me. And over all, I came in at a whopping 16,978th place.

See you next year, ladies!

Congratulations, Berlin.

Last week, my littlest Lins graduated from preschool. Way to go, kiddo!

The plot thickens.

So, after much discourse, I finally agreed with Hailey to go have my finger checked out by a doctor. As usual, she was right. They discovered that the bone was fractured.



Alright, no biggie right? Here is my co-pay, I'll take that ice pack and be on my way. No such luck. I was quickly fashioned with an ever-so subtle brace thing I like to call BLUE SHAME. In fact, the only place I may be able to wear this thing with my dignity still intact is at a sporting event where people just might mistake it for one of those big foam #1 hands.



"Hey everybody, we're number one! Go, fight, win!"

Sometimes all it take is a little ingenuity.

Yesterday, the slightest movement of my pinky finger resulted in intense discomfort.



But thanks to some quick thinking, a couple strips of tape, a small piece of black mounting board from the art department and years of watching Macgyver in my youth, I was able to fashion a makeshift splint.



Not only did it stop the pain, it also made quite the fashion statement.

Ouch!

I'm having a very difficult time typing this blog entry. You see, earlier this morning during a TV commercial shoot in LA I sustained a vicious injury to my pinky finger on my left hand.

The commercial shoot was pretty intense. It took place over three nights from 6pm to 6am each night. It included a plethora of stunts, pyrotechnics and high action adventure. Very dangerous stuff. Needless to say, medical services were on the scene and on alert.

This is perhaps why it is so "ironical" that the only injury the medical professionals had to attend to was mine. And just how did I injure myself? Just how did I dislocate my pinky finger, bending it completely backwards at the first knuckle?

Um. Well.

Trying to catch a football.

Now that was a birthday.

This morning I was awakened by a large blob of slobber from Jamison's toothy grin hitting me directly between the eyes. Then Berlin quickly grabbed the covers and pulled them off the bed (it's her favorite thing to do in the morning, unfortunately.) "Happy Birthday, Daddy!" she yelled.

I went downstairs to discover Hailey had prepared my favorite breakfast in the whole world. Coffee cake. Definitely a great way to start a birthday.

Then it was off to work.

Thanks to Facebook, everyone knew it was my special day. My inbox filled with well wishes and funny cards.







But it didn't stop there. Suddenly the mail guy stopped by and delivered a Build-A-Bear! That's right, my friend Kristi had a Build-A-Bear delivered from Miami. Its name is Clint. And it was quickly taken over by a very over protective foster parent.



Some buddies took me out to lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings (my fave here in Colorado). When I returned someone had lovingly placed a pack of cupcakes on my desk. I decided the diet didn't apply on my birthday and dug in.

When I got home, Hailey, Berlin, Jamison and I had a pizza party. Domino's of course. 444 Deal. Three or more pizzas for just four bucks each!

Berlin gave me her gift. A keychain.



Hailey found a cupcake store in Boulder and bought the tastiest cupcakes. Again, diet rules don't apply on birthdays.



And then, perhaps, the crowning moment of the incredible day. The moment that all other moments merely built up to. Hailey's gift. Are you ready?

Wait for it.


Wait for it.


Wait for it.


A gift certificate for a back waxing.



Seriously.

Well, it's official.

I'm now 31.

Hey, Hailey, it's been a month and I'm on my way home.

Hope you like the new look!

More advertising show and tell.