American Pharoah winning the 2015 Triple Crown!
I really love running. And I really love horses. So it's probably not surprising that I am a fan of horse racing. Especially the three races that make up the Triple Crown: the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont.
Until yesterday, no horse had won the Triple Crown in my lifetime. My mom was about four weeks pregnant with me when Affirmed won the Triple Crown in 1978.
My dad introduced me to horse racing when I was very young, and as I grew up, I'd watch coverage of my three favorite races every year. I'd read all about the top contenders before the Kentucky Derby and then root with my whole horse-crazy soul for the Derby winner to take the Preakness and the Belmont. Several horses came close, but I was getting used to disappointment.
And then American Pharoah came along! This gorgeous bay stallion galloped into the history books yesterday with an impressive wire-to-wire win in the Belmont that earned him the first Triple Crown victory in 37 loooonnnngggg years!
While watching the pre-race coverage, I bit off all my nails. I felt as nervous as I do when I'm running a race myself. And to fully illustrate just how big of a horse-nerd I am, watching American Pharoah win left me crying and literally shaking with excitement and happiness. I've achieved complete dork-dom. :)
I now have another item to add to my Bucket List: travel to the farm where American Pharoah will eventually be a stud and SEE him in person. And wish I was rich enough to buy one of his babies. :)
My new screensaver. This picture also inadvertently captured two of my antidotes for sadness: antidepressants and horses! :)
Prior to the race on Saturday, we went to the Olympia Farmer's Market where one of the vendors displayed their American Pharoah love (and inability to spell his misspelled name correctly - haha).
As for my own running, I am still dealing with achy knees, but I think I'm on the mend. On Friday, I ran twelve miles along the scenic Chehalis Western Trail. My knees ached off-and-on for most of the run, but it wasn't an acute pain. I alternated between feeling so happy and light, trotting along, listening to my favorite music, and worrying about my knees and just feeling tired. It was one of those runs...where you run "hill repeats" up and down the peaks and valleys of your confidence. I think it was a good run to accomplish right before my race, though. I have no worries about being able to cover the distance, and I was reminded that I can power through mental and physical difficulties. See you soon, Yellowstone!
Tess and I relaxing after my twelve-miler with an episode of "The Wiggles". :)
