Okay, Okay.. I am a bad blogger. It has been two weeks since the Race for the cure and I am just now getting a chance to write about it. I don't think I have to worry about bad charma... Already got the cancer (hahaha).
The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Baltimore was two weeks earlier than last year. Thank goodness, if you all remember, last year there was friggin' snow on the ground for the race!! This year it was a little chilly but wonderful running weather... And that is what I did, I ran!!
I had been training since July (???) for this race. I have an app on my Ipod for Couch to 5K (a.k.a. C25K) and every other day (3 times a week) I would pop my earphones in turn on my playlist, and do whatever the very pleasant woman would tell me too.
"Welcome to Couch to 5K"
"Warm up now" (five minutes)
"Run now"
"Walk now"
"Run now"
"Half way" (This is where I would turn around and start my return)
"1 more minute" (This is where I am normally gasping for breath and friggin' relieved)
"Cool Down" (Normally, this is where I throw my arms in the air in triumph)
"Work out Complete" I am normally back at my front door.
It really is a great program, if you can stick to it. Week 4 is a bitch (fair warning). The first week has you running and walking intervals which are 60 seconds and 90 seconds respectively. Then they work you up to a complete run. I was up to week 8 (running 28 minutes without stopping) when the race came up (there are 9 weeks total). I am still working on week 9 (30 minutes of running without stopping).
The day of the race I was so excited!!! I opted out of the survivor parade this year (too early, and the "parade" is the length of a parking lot). But got my butt out there for the race. This year I was determined to run the 5K, I had two partners in crime on this journey....
Meg and HeatherWe all met in the lobby of the hotel that we were staying at, and then walked to the race.
We got there as the race started.
Putting Megs bib on her back. (That is running lingo for her number (aren't' you so impressed with me?)
;-)
Team LJ this year had a group of walkers too! Bridget came with her husband and their two kids from New York to be with us. Also, my hubby and girls were walking as well.
We had all made a pact to run together in the beginning, but if we lost each other during the race, that that was okay, we would hook back up at the end. We lost Heather early on in the race. Meg stayed by my side for the entire race (I personally think that she could have gone faster and passed my butt, but she stayed with me, encouraging me through the entire race). I was hoping that the race would be flat, but no... There were hills that weren't steep so much as they were LONG. At one point Meg told me to put on the song that made me push, that made me want to go for it. As the song on my playlist started (The Fray's "You Found Me"), Meg started singing out loud something about "Licking you from your head to your toes" and "Chocolate make it melt" ???!!! (Later finding out the song was "What's Your Fantasy" by Ludacris). I decided I need to use her playlist (hahahha).
At the two mile marker I we walked for maybe a tenth of a mile and started back up running. Then walked one more time two-tenths before the 3 mile marker, then finished the race at 3miles to the finish!!
I had never run that far (in my adult years). The announcer pulled me over to tell him my name (as a survivor, we were announced as we came in) and I was told to go down the survivor line, which was basically a line of volunteers to high five all the way down. (note: couldn't they have done this at the beginning of the race?? I just wanted to be finished!! Now I have to run through a line of people too??? Didn't you all JUST see me run a 5K)By the end, I was in tears, met up with Meg and we cried and hugged. Okay so emotions came over me. We waited for Heather and cheered for her as she passed as well!
This was us after the race.Once we were finished and had gone through Race Village we had some lunch, went back to the hotel to visit with Bridget and her family. Here are some pics.
Then we headed out... The ride home was a quiet one....
In the end, Team LJ had 12 Team Members, and raised $2,210.00!! Thank you so much to all those that walked, run, supported, donated and/or registered!!! I wish I could put into words how much your love has meant to me!!!
Go Team LJ!!!!
