Last winter, I posted my spring racing wish list. Well, that turned out to be a joke. Up until this week, the only race I completed in 2012 was the Oz Half-Marathon!
I’m determined to actually start running races again — and the Run to Free 5K, which took place on Labor Day morning, was a good start.
The race was organized through my church, so I was extra eager to participate. It was also a fun, convenient course that wound through downtown Lawrence.
Best of all, I was able to talk my friend Kelly into running with me!
(She recently got back from a China for a year. While she was there, she ran the Great Wall Marathon — on the Great Wall!)
Because I only heard of the race through my church, I didn’t know how many runners would turn out. I was happy for the organizers when they announced there were more than 200 participants. We helped raise more than $3000 to help abolish of human trafficking. Pretty cool!
The race began on Massachusetts Street, which is the main road through Lawrence’s downtown. I’ve dodged people on the sidewalks during my jogs, but it’s even more fun to run down the center of the road.
When the race began at 8 a.m., it was already humid as heck. I figured it would be a manageable pain — but, after a speedy first mile, Kelly and I both realized it was going to be a long 2.1 more.
Time to adjust our game plan: No more sprinting!
From that point, we took the rest of the race slower. Neither of us broke any personal records, but we did make it through the steamy run on our feet. Plus, we each had enough left within ourselves to finish strong.
(And then died on the other side of the finish line.)
All in all, I’m glad that I broke my 5K fast. I’m glad that I was able to support a great cause. I’m glad that I was able to race with a friend…
I’m just hoping for less humidity next time.
