So … that was fun. No really, I’m not being sarcastic – it really was.
I psyched myself up for this by thinking, “Okay self. It’s just another work day. Get up, take a shower, put on makeup (yes, I put on makeup because HELLO. I have to work with these people and OMG – gross), get dressed and get out the door, just like any other work day.” I didn’t think about it, I just did it.
Which is pretty much what I do on a daily basis when I go to work.
I got to the facility by 7:35 a.m. I was supposed to meet the other girls from work at a specific sign by 7:30 a.m. I just about didn’t make it because as I walking to meet them, they were walking to the starting line.
There were people everywhere and I wish now, I had taken my camera. However, one of the girls I work with had someone take a picture of all of us with her camera phone and she will likely email it to everyone on Monday.
We got into the back of the line. I wish now, I hadn’t. But one of the gals I work with brought her dog and people with strollers and dogs had to line up at the back of the line to stay out of the way of the more serious runners. But next time, I’m totally positioning myself at the front of the line because once we got going, the competitive side of me was a bit irked whenever I saw the runners were already heading back when I hadn’t even walked half of the course.
The day was PERFECT: sunny and cool. I wore a t-shirt and shorts and even I was almost cold. Of course, I warmed up fast once we got going.
The city shut down a few streets for us, so everyone had plenty of room to do their thing. I heard from veteran 5K-ers that they tried to keep it to the sidewalks one year and it was just a mess.
I took my Ipod and I fully intended to just speed walk my way past the other girls and sort of lose myself in the music, but to my utter annoyance, I had one gal from work insist on keeping pace with me and talking to me. I wasn’t annoyed with her, per se, but rather when I get into the workout zone, I really don’t want to talk to anyone and just concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other.
Not to mention, I’m the world’s worst small talker and it was just uncomfortable trying to come up with things to say to her.
There’s definitely something exhilarating about walking with a bunch of other people – the energy was palpable. But again, I wish I had been more at the front of the pack because by the time I crossed the finish line, they were already starting the awards. It was cool to cross the finish line though. I guess the chip on my shoe told them who I was, because as I was walking across the finish line, the announcer called out my name. I was a bit surprised to hear my name, and a bit embarrassed, simply because I was one of the last to finish. But oh well, it was still fun and I really enjoyed it.
I grabbed some ice cold water and watched the awards for a bit before I left. I really didn’t see a reason to stick around – most of the activities were geared toward the kids. I was surprised, though, to see Reliv had set up a booth and was selling products. I don’t know WHY I was surprised other than the fact that I didn’t think Reliv was big enough to participate in events like this. (My in-laws sell Reliv).
As I was driving home, I was surprised to see Kevin driving the Mazda next to me. He hadn’t gone with me this morning, which was cool, I hadn’t really expected him to, but I couldn’t figure out why he was out and about so early. When we got home, he said he had driven to the halfway mark and was waiting to take pictures, but he couldn’t figure out why he didn’t see any runners/walkers.
The “race” was over before he even got there. He thought it would take us much longer to get through it.
I finished in just under 45 minutes. Which is pretty normal for me. I usually walk three miles in 45 minutes on the treadmill.
I had fun. And I think I’d like to do more 5K’s. In fact, I had two gals try and talk me into a few more walks coming up. One of the walks is a night walk at the end of July, which I think would be interesting, not to mention smart, considering the days get to the unbearable point at the end of July.
So that was the start of my weekend.
Now back to our regularly scheduled lives…
Write From Karen 