5K race

Last week Dad, Megan, Mom, Josh and I ran in a 5K in Boone. It was the first time that we’ve done that as a family- Jason was supposed to participate as well but he chickened out at the last minute, giving some lame excuse of working and being asked to baptize my roommate. Wimp.
They funny thing was that he didn’t seem too disappointed despite his mumblings of “I wish I could…” until he realized that we were going to get interviewed by the bird lady that weekend. (He wants a cockatiel and there is a lady who rescues them- but she has to interview you before she will let you adopt.) After that little nugget of knowledge sunk in he was desolate.

Update on the cockatiels living on borrowed time: Rob has asked if we want one because they are so mean. That took all of a couple of weeks. Actually, one of them is kind of nice and the other is mean- he wants us to take the mean one.
No.

We woke that morning to a lovely overcast misty cold miserable day and drove over to the race site. Samantha spotted a couple of her friends who were participating – all I saw were all the girls who were obviously on track teams who would screw up my placing.



At the yell of “GO” (we actually didn’t hear it but the surge of movement clued us in) we took off running. Dad is the one who sets our pace and Megan and I just try and keep up- some times he messes with us and tells us we are running a pace we’ve comfortably done before and then at the end we realize he was lying- he just wanted to go faster.
It was pretty flat the whole time which was nice.
The traffic was NOT. Cars were weaving in and out of the runners in an effort not to have to wait until we passed. All I could think of was Megan telling me that the drivers in Boone actually stop for runners unlike charlotte. Maybe she should let them in on that little secret.

It was somewhat disheartening to see the guy with the double stroller whiz by on the back lap but since I didn’t feel like speeding up I got over it quickly.
Josh had made all sorts of noises of being slow but he really wasn’t that far behind us (Megan says he is still perfecting his “pacing”. He will start fast and then have to walk- although according to this month's Men’s Health he burns more fat that way.)

Mom was walking the race and met up with a guy who was running his first race even though he had arthritis and became his walking buddy. This is what I love about the running community; everyone is supportive of everyone else.
Of course by doing so Mom missed the start of the mile Fun Run that Isabella was participating in, and despite my waiting at the finish line for her with Josh’s baby (his camera) to take a finish line picture of her, she turned around after dropping off her walking buddy and hurried to catch up with them.
I am proud (since I had so much to do with it) to announce that Isabella completed her first Fun Run mile all by herself in 26 minutes. In the rain. And the wind. Luckily Mom had forgotten to give her umbrella to Samantha before the start of the 5K and had it with her to keep Isabella dry.
Dad had planned on picking her up at about the half way mark and carrying her the remainder of the way but she was doing well until about 200 yards from the finish line where she decided that she was tired of the rain and the wind, but the sight of a Golden Retriever playing in a field with his owner renewed her spirits and gave her the motivation to keep going. From my post at the finish line I saw Dad take off running in the wrong direction and wondered where he was going, thinking “great he is going to ruin the picture!” As she turned into the pipeline (home stretch) I heard Megan tell her to “look at Aunt Terra” which made her giggle and continue a little further. I was using the camera to film her run across the finish line and thought it was cute that I made her happy and she wanted to come to me, but as her enthusiasm increased I began to suspect that there was something else going on-she’s not that fond of me (unless I’m holding shoes and a wallet). Turns out that Dad had run over to the dog’s owner and explained that his granddaughter was two years old and running in her first fun run mile, she had seen his dog and could he bring it over to the finish line to help her make it all the way?
The very nice man thought this was great and graciously donated his dog to the “motivate Isabella” cause.
You should have heard her squeal when she saw the dog at the finish line.
She even got a little wooden medallion with the figure of a running man on it for her troubles. Megan said she was clutching it to her chest the whole ride home.
(Megan also said she doesn’t plan on having her run a mile again until she is older, and Isabella can enjoy it more.)
I told Josh and he agrees that he should submit a picture and story of Isabella being the youngest participant to the paper. I don’t know if he did that or not.