June Fete Fair 5K Run--May 31, 2015

   Practicing their pre-race strategy of running with their hands frozen in the air and legs crooked....

                               Practicing the baton pass...although this wasn't a baton race...

Just happy to be with each other...and Timmy's eyes are always closed...this looks the least obvious!!

Every year we do the June Fete Fair 5K for a few reasons.  One, it benefits this organization called Safe Harbor, which helps families going through the loss of a loved one from cancer. Second, a group from my neighborhood started doing the walk when I was pregnant with Anna, and I was 7 months pregnant walking with them, and it was fun.

Now I do the 5K race with my kids.  I started running it around 3 years ago, and my time the first year was around 39 mins....just barely above a fast walk, but I was aiming for anything less than 45 mins, which is what I could walk it in.   Last year, I got 37 mins, 41 seconds....but I didn't stop to walk at all, and I was pretty happy.  They changed the course, and the first 1.25 miles is all uphill--steep and hilly.  It is really terrible.

This year, I started running, and immediately decided this is it for me..., I will never do this again without walking up this hill, but I hadn't decided I could walk, so I had to run.    Within minutes, I thought I was having a hallucination....I felt like my head had a ball of fire around it, and I was huffing terribly.  I just kept on thinking, honestly, about Beau Biden.   That poor man died last night with two small children at a young age....I could run three miles after what he had been through.  

Happily, I never stopped to walk.  Sadly, and oddly, there were lots of people in front of me who did stop to walk, but who still beat me.....not sure how that works.   Anyway, when I finished the last 500 yards (which is also uphill), I saw the clock, which I think said 34 minutes, something, but I couldn't really see through the sweat and the hallucinations.   Then I saw Timmy and Anna, who said some words of encouragement...and then Anna said "Mommy, you won a gift card."   They raffle off gift cards, which that little piece of news got me going   I started thinking  how cool it would be to beat 35 minutes...but I crossed at exactly 35 mins, 01 seconds.    All in all, I am thrilled...I didn't stop, and I got over 2.5 minutes faster than the last time.

I usually run only on the treadmill, and outside running is soooo much harder.  I really admire those people I see out running.    I may be in a lot of pain tomorrow, but for now, I feel great!!