So, I was at my Friday morning circuit class yesterday morning, the 8.30 one, the one I never, ever miss and I was at the star jumps station when the woman at the next station (something to do with shoulders) said, ‘So where were you last week?’
And you know, I had to think for a moment. Where was I? ‘I was somewhere,’ I said, asking my brain to co-operate, and then I remembered…
that first of all, we got into the car extremely early indeed.
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We drove out of Abu Dhabi.
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Until we got to Dubai, where I registered.
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And then I ran.
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All the way to the top of this.
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And that, my friends, is an event on which I cannot believe I am reporting. Me. Running.
The statistics: 52 floors, 1,334 steps, 16 minutes.
That day, the day I ran a Vertical Marathon, it was my mum’s birthday, and she would’ve been 63 which is the age my dad was when he died. Somehow or other it all seemed to fit together in a way that made me think less about sadness and more about the depth of things.
PS See up there in that photo of all of us – that baby carrier on the back of the man behind us? There was a child in that when that man did his run.
adelaide from adelaide 
Oh, you are too fit. Look at you. All grinny. Pah.
Actually, that’s the before photo, because by the time I’d come back down, they were sitting inside eating the buffet breakfast and had lost al interest in photographing me.
I’m not sure I could even walk that in 16 minutes.
All hail thirdcat. I bow low to you.
(That’s a bit of a catch phrase around here lately. Son #3 had to make an Egyptian hieroglyphic tablet for school and it said ‘All hail and bow low to Pharaoh Harry’ which was better than writing a shopping list which apparently is what a lot of hieroglyphic tablets comprise).
I’m going to introduce that as a catch phrase here too. One hundred percent sure it will take off.
Speechless with admiration. I couldn’t even get up that early, much less the rest.
I wasn’t in charge of getting us up in time
What PC said. Words have failed me on this one.
Wow.
What a spectacular thing you’ve done!
thanks!
Woot!
You are remarkable. I can’t even imagine doing that, much less taking only 16 minutes to complete it. The most remarkable thing??? That you are still smiling at the end!
no, really, that’s me at the beginning…there’s no photos of me at the end, the mister and the lads were at the buffet by then…but the thing is, actually I was smiling at the end, because I had that post-run euphoric high I’d heard about…
That is brilliant! Wow! I’m so impressed! And what a lovely way to commemorate your parents, specifically your mum. Beautiful.
Today it’s a year since I lost mine.
Oh, speechless with admiration! Well done Thirdcat.
What did the circuit woman say when you told her?
I am in awe. Well done, Third Cat and you’ve got that skinny, whippety marathoner’s body that I’ve yearned for and never got anywhere near to!
If it wasn’t already too late, I’d so want to be like you when I grew up. You, and all those stairs, just awesome. I too am afraid that I wouldn’t be able to climb that many stairs, like at all.
That is awesome! Well done my friend, well done indeed. (Magnificent building that one don’t you think? Can’t imagine the inside of the stair well would be so spectacular though.)
Fantastic photos. You look so fit. And were your knees not even the slightest bit dicky after all those stairs?
I’ve been looking at this post for days and I still can’t think of anything to say except
WOW.
Am in awe. You are awesome.