Marathon!

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya had trained faithfully, just like she promised (and despite her period starting a few months after that promise. Really? She didn't need that!). The weights had been added by about the second month of training and she was really, really proud of her stamina!

And the marathon they'd chosen as their first was coming up this weekend, with fund raising as done by Elcy...and yeah. "Don't tell me you have to cancel!" she said into the phone, pulling one foot up to stretch out her thighs. "Don't! I can't go and do this alone!"

Comments

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay, bye! Oh, the snack bag!" Which she had to pass before he ran off! Then, well, "Here, start line is this way! You've got about ten minutes before they blow the whistle? I was stretching." And should finish!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Right." Dilan said, finding a spot near the back of the mob and doing his own stretching. It was nice to see that there was another Katzu, Wapshut by the look of her, in the area and she and Dilan exchanged waves before getting ready to run.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya bounce don her toes a bit to loosen her calves then grinned when Dilan waved. "She's running for Parson County! Her mom married a man there so she'll be spending some time in America with her!" Because Aya had gotten there a biiiit early. "She's nice! And works in the diplomat corp!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Oh, cool!" Dilan said, grinning harder, "It'll be nice to have some other Katzu around here!" The gun went off and Dilan settled into a nice, slow jog to keep pace with Aya for a while.

[mitochondriaaya]

"I said that too her too!" Aya laughed then started out when the gun went off. She was not sprinting! She knew better! She was stretching into a long, loping run that she had learned stretched her a bit but covered a lot of ground!

And yes, Dilan was still jogging slow and she knew it so he got a wry look and a tongue in his direction. "Mom tell you what she raised for us for this marathon?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Nu uh." Dilan said, breathing easily, "What did it come out to? I got a couple hundred from people at college." Mostly people who wanted an excuse to talk to the now tall, hot, exotic Katzu, but whatever. It went to a good cause.

[mitochondriaaya]

"I got a couple hundred off door to door, but mom pushed it at her last circle meet and..." yeah. Money. "We are representing the Southern Women's Charitable Funds Association? Like three or four charities are getting large donations as long as we finish!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Oh, nice." Dilan said, "That'll be cool! I'm gonna hang with you for a while, then go catch up to the front line." You know, get a nice warm up before he actually started jogging.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Yeah, mom knows how to rock these things!" Aya laughed. "We just have to thank people at the next formal dinner." Because that was just how it worked.

"And I'm going to just stay steady. I'm hoping to stay somewhere in the front middle? I'll have to walk some but Nara from the gym says there isn't any reason why I shouldn't be able to finish after the training I've done!" She punched his arm lightly. "You have to place good for us though!" Because he had legggggs!

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yes'm." Dilan said, grinning, "I'll probably peel off a quarter of the way to the front." He probably couldn't keep the chase instinct down much longer than that.

[mitochondriaaya]

"Peel off as in leave me or peel off as in hit the sidelines and dunk your head?" Aya laughed. "Braig will probably keep hopping down the marathon lines in the car to throw food at us?"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Peel off as in head towards the front." Dilan said, "I dunno what Braig is planning, but there are places set up to grab water."

[mitochondriaaya]

"Okay! I'll be behind you a bit but I'll be there!" Probably even visible when he looked over his shoulder sometimes! "I don't know Braig's plans either but you know he fusses, and Elcy made up the pack for him so he'd have something to do!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Yeah." Dilan said, "He's a dork."

[mitochondriaaya]

"We're all dorks!" Aya agreed cheerfully. "He's just not running and so at loose ends!" They knew their Braig?

"He'll manage! Or surprise us with something weird!"

[sliceitwithwind]

"Or both!" Dilan agreed cheerfully, watching the people in front of them. So many running people!

[mitochondriaaya]

"Or both!" she agreed. And yes, running people. And people pushing themselves too hard too fast, obviously flagging and shifting to the edges of the herd...the groups would start to truly separate out soon!

[sliceitwithwind]

And when it did, Dilan started drifting more to the front. He just couldn't help it, the need to chase warring with the need to be first that came with being a teenage boy...

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya had stopped talking as the need to breath properly emerged, but she gave him a cheerful wave when he headed off. She was competitive, yes, but she was also realistic! No way in hell was she taking a lead position and holding it! She hadn't needed to drop to a walk yet by the time they passed the quarter marker! That was something!

And watching Dilan jockeying up ahead was also fun! Did her erstwhile jogging partner realize he was edging up on people like their own shadows? It was hilarious!

[sliceitwithwind]

He had no clue. He loved it, though! Running like this, it really did something for him and made him feel good. Just like lifting weights, or finally cracking a really tough concept.

[mitochondriaaya]

It was good to see him being comfortable in his body again. It was really good in fact. His marathon idea was a winner! Oh, she'd probably curse him in the morning after al the running but, for now, it was good!

And thirsty work. She did slow enough to grab a water bottle at the next stand!

[sliceitwithwind]

Dilan was grabbing a bottle at every other stand, sweat pouring off his body, but he was rapidly approaching the very front row.

[mitochondriaaya]

Yeah, Aya ended up dropping back to about the solid middle until she caught her second wind at the half point and inched back up toward the front middle! She didn't have legs that went on forever but she knew how to stretch a stride!

They'd both really need showers when they went home though.

Maybe ocean, then shower.

[sliceitwithwind]

Ocean than shower, totally. Dilan hit his stride fairly early and just settled into it, coasting into the finish very near the front, within the first thirty people or so across the line. Then he started walking in circles while Braig poured a bucket of water over his head.

[mitochondriaaya]

Aya pounded in at eighty-sixth, which was kind of amazing in her book! She was tired and shaking by that point but hey, she did it! The boys only had to wait about an hour longer? That fifty+ person difference took a while to trickle through!

Walking cool down? Yes, though her feet wanted to go in every direction but straight then. Ugh. "TOMORROW I SLEEP IN!" Just so the world knew!