The End

Like you didn't know this post was coming.

So, it's officially over. My favorite TV show of all time has come to a close. And I of course have some thoughts about how it all went down.

At 11:30 on Sunday night, I was sitting in front of the TV with my chin in my hands thinking "WTF?" Which is a very normal pose and thought for me to have at the conclusion of any episode of LOST. But this was different, because it was the last one. No tuning in next week to find out what all that was about. And so I was left to figure it all out.

Some things immediately stood out. The sideways was amazing. I have loved the sideways storylines all season. I loved seeing the characters interact with one another in a totally different set of circumstances. In the very first episode, Jack and Locke had that discussion at the lost baggage desk and it hit me "In a different world, these two people might have had a completely different relationship." And so they did. And so did everyone else. It was a real treat to watch. Ben and Locke were my favorites.

But in the finale, the sideways took on a whole new life. The scenes where the characters found each other were so well written and so well acted - possibly the best scenes in the history of the show. I loved Sun and Jin looking at Sawyer when they had it figured out and he didn't. I loved that Kate's touchstone was neither Jack nor Sawyer, but Aaron. And I LOVED the scene with Ben and Locke outside the church. LOST has always been about the characters for me, and the finale was ALL about the characters.

As far as the resolution went, it took me about 24-hours, but I was finally OK with it. I'm comfortable that I understand the ending (and clearly, many viewers didn't) and I like it. A Lot. Not what I wanted and not at all what I expected, but a good ending. It really seemed more like a finale to season six, and maybe not to the whole series, but season six stood apart from the others anyway, and so it is what it is.

I was disappointed that so few questions were answered in the end, but I can see how it would be nearly impossible to go back and touch on all the mysteries from where they were in the story at this point. They would have had to resort to monologuing, and that would have sucked. The thing I was most disappointed to not know was the origin of the statue and the Egyptian influence. I remember getting chills - chills on top of chills - in season five when we saw the completed statue for the first time. To still not know how it got there was a real disappointment.

Other things worth noting:

1. As always, the music was phenomenal. I especially liked the light-hearted "ting" at the end (in contrast to the usual "thunk".)
2. Jimmy Kimmel's alternate endings were awesome, although I didn't get the second one until it was explained later.
3. Even in the sideways, Ben gets beaten up. How great is that?
4. Didn't catch it at the time, but at the very beginning of season six, Rose tells Jack "You can let go now." Indeed you can.

And all those Losties out there can let go too. As they said in The Truman Show, wonder what else is on?

Race Day!

Saturday was the big day! The Foot RX 5K! (Foot RX is a running shoe/accessory store in town, and they partner with our Wellness Center to sponsor a road race every year). Back in March, the four of us committed to train together and run the race. We all agreed to set a goal for ourselves and train to meet that goal by race day. Ben and I both decided to run the entire race. Mark was still coming off the DL with a foot injury (the one that sidelined him for Chasing Snakes) and has some soreness in his knee, so his goal was just to finish the race - run as much as he felt good about, and walk the rest. DP never got around to setting a goal because almost immediately, he got invited to a sleepover the night before the race (where activities included seeing Iron Man 2 at the drive-in). He agreed to keep training with us if he could skip the race and go to the party. We agreed.

And then there were three.

Ben really impressed me in our training. We ran on a 1/2 mile track, and we added distance every time we trained - trying to run more and walk less each time. Ben got to where he could run all six laps well before me. For our last training run, we ran the actual race route, which is around the park where our office is. There is a steep hill at the start, then it's level street running for a couple of miles, then we move to a greenway (paved path off-road) which is a very steady incline. It's a hard course, especially for beginners. The night we ran it pre-race, it was 80 degrees. I thought I might die. But I ran the entire route. I was really jacked for the race.

Here we are on race morning:




Aren't the shirts cool?

We didn't want to tote a camera around, so we didn't get any actual race pictures. If any get posted by the sponsors, I'll re-post.

We had awesome weather. Lots of our friends were there. The mood was upbeat. Lots of encouragement on all fronts.

And we did it! Ben ran the whole race and finished in 25 minutes on the nose. He finished in sixth place for his age group and 81st overall (out of a total 316)!! I was so proud of him!

I finished in 27:02 and I ran the entire race - no walking! But I wanted to quit so badly. I think I felt worse during the race than on the 80-degree training run. Maybe I didn't eat enough breakfast or needed more water, but I struggled. I didn't quit though! I was 128th overall, so I finished in the top half. I was pleased.

Mark finished in 31:08, 214th overall. He was worried he would be dead last, but there were 102 people still behind him! I think he was pleased with himself as well - he didn't get injured, and he made a good showing. He ran more than he walked, and ran more than he had in any of our training runs, I think.

I was the one who didn't feel so great afterward - I think my BP must have dropped because right after I stopped running and stood around for a few minutes, I got really light-headed. I got water and oranges, and sat down for while. I finally walked it off on the way to the car and felt fine after.

There is another race coming up in June, and Ben has already committed to running it. I have volunteered to help with it, so I will be behind-the-scenes for that one (I hope I get to be on the course and direct the runners or call out times or something - I think that would be fun.) Not sure about Mark and Daniel at this point.

Ben has really enjoyed himself. He plans to go out for cross country next year. Who knew this would be a new hobby for him? And a new hobby that gets him outside and active. Good times. Very, very good times.