At the transition zone, I jumped off my bike and my legs, still used to moving from the pedals got me started on my run. I have never immediately started running after getting off the bike, but it was an interesting feeling. My legs seemed to move as if I was still pedalling. I was definitely running faster than my legs wanted to, but they were used to that motion and continued to move quickly despite me trying to slow them down.
I got tired quickly on the run and despite my goal always being to run the whole way, I had to walk. Briefly, I walked in order to catch my breath which was heavy from the swim, the bike, and the breakfast burrito I had eaten earlier that morning. I caught my breath fairly quickly and was able to do sporadic bursts of runs in between my walks.
The run was hillier than the bike ride was. Steep elevation changes occurred throughout the run, making it difficult to catch my breath and run the entire course. I ran through the train station and onto the road which would lead me to the hospital my brother was staying at.
I wanted to run by the hospital and pound on his window, letting him know that I had ran right past him, but it was out of the way and I couldn’t be certain that I would be pounding on the wrong window and disturbing someone who might be seriously ill. As I ran past the hospital, my Mom was outside cheering me on.
I pushed forward up the enourmous hill and once I reached the top, I knew I was at the home stretch. The rest of the race was downhill and I was able to fly. I let my legs take over and I ran as fast as I could down the final straightaway when I heard my name through the speakers, announcing everyone of my presence.
My Dad and sister were there waiting for me at the finish line. The race was complete. But somehow it felt incomplete. The other Running Brother was not there. It has always been a great feeling for me to cheer my brother on after I have beaten him and I was looking forward to doing it again. But, he was in the hospital.
After the race, we quickly gathered our things and went to visit our brother at the hospital. I was eager to tell him everything I had done and everything he had missed out on.