The Race to Parenthood 5K

Before I share my 5K experience, I wanted to just tell you a little bit about the race and what it was for.  The Race to Parenthood is "a fundraising platform for those who wish to start a family, but require fertility treatments or adoption to do so. Many couples require additional financial assistance to pay for IVF, IUI, adoption, or surrogacy – our organization seeks to provide a way to help those who cannot afford to fund their path to parenthood."  As someone who has NOT had to struggle to conceive, carry, or give birth to a baby....it breaks my heart to even attempt to imagine a reality in which you are denied this experience.  So whether you agree or disagree with IVF, IUI, surrogacy, or adoption, just remember - we are all following our own path in life, we all have a purpose, and we all have to trust that God's plan is better than ours.  How do you know that part of your purpose isn't to help other's follow their path?  Well, you DON'T know - so it wouldn't kill you to get off your Judgey McJudgerson bench long enough to try it out.  If you have the urge to do so, like, right now - just go to the website http://theracetoparenthood5k.com/ and make a donation.  The race is over, but they are still taking donations for each couple.  Or, if it's too hard to choose one (I couldn't do it either - I was randomly assigned a team when I registered), you can actually make ONE donation that they will split for you across all 7 of the couples.

End of public service announcements.

Let's start with what time I arrived at the race.  The race that started at 9:00am.  If you guessed 8:52am, you would be correct.  WHY?!  Because that's what I do.  I live on the edge like that.  Also, we had no idea where we were going, which left us dependant on a GPS - a GPS that kept losing it's signal.  ALSO, on the way there, I became struck with a new, overwhelming fear that I would have to pee while I was running the race.  So I made the hubs stop at a gas station.  Well, 3 gas stations actually, because the first two didn't have restrooms.

I slid right into the lineup though, no biggie.  I had my earbuds, my Map My Run app, my hubs wishing me luck...it was exciting!  Until I saw the whole thing kicked off with a big 'ol hill.  Nuh uh, Jack - I resolved to NOT trip, injure, pee, or otherwise embarrass myself today (or at least not in the first mile) so I will walk up the hill, THEN run, thank you.  "What are you doing?!" shouts the hubs.  "Uhhh, warming up!!!" I shout back. 

Once I got going it was...fun.  (Running?!  Fun?!)  I felt great, I was energized by the people around me, and the view was really nice.  Trees, water, people waving and cheering you on - but not too many people, because that would have been another problem.  I even managed to grab a cup of water from a volunteer without falling on my face or smacking the cup from her hand to the ground!  I was reciting "rules" in my head, "Ok, say thank you....Did I just shout at her? I'm not sure, I can't hear myself over my music...Crap, I'm spilling this...Oh yeah, remember to squeeze the rim so you don't dump it on yourself....Yeah, I still spilled it everywhere, oh well...What are people doing with their cups? Is this a "toss on the ground" kind of run? Nope, I see no cups on the ground....Here comes the trashcan....HA! I made it!  Tossing cups into trashcans level: Expert."  I didn't want to push my luck, though, so I politely declined water at the second table.  Too much risk involved, and I don't usually drink on a 3 mile run anyway, so why take the chance of ruining my good fortune by getting fancy with water cups. 

I was feeling so proud of myself, that I didn't even mind the 8 year-olds, 60 year-olds, or Moms with jogging strollers running past me.  My goal was just to make it to the finish line.  And when I did cross the finish line....it was pretty awesome.  The announcer said my name, bib number, and time, people took pictures, and I kind of felt like a rock star.  A really sweaty, red-faced, oxygen-deprived rock star.  I did not have to go to the first-aid tent, there were no defibrillators involved, I didn't have to lay on the pavement and ask the hubs to drag me to the car by my ankles - a great finish, in my opinion. 

After securing some hydration, and asking the hubs exactly how far ahead of me had the lady with the newborn finished, I checked my times on my app.  "OMG...I averaged 10 and 1/2 minute miles?!"  Yes, I do realize this is still a "turtle in peanut-butter" type of pace.  For me, though?  That's phenomenal.  I usually average 13 minute miles.  Apparently, having people cheer for you while you run is a real boost.  I need to look into how I can make that happen on a daily basis...

I also checked my stats online tonight from the chip on my race bib.  Overall, out of 349 people, I finished as lucky #100!  For my age category (20-29), I was the 15th out of 58 females to finish.  Because I am a strange person and I like numbers that you count by fives, these numbers make me very happy.  (This would be really useful information to have if you were to ever ride in my car, because I would be extremely annoyed with you if you were to say, change the volume of the radio to 21 instead of 20 or 25.)

I think we all know, however, that there is NO WAY that I did not have at least ONE awkward moment in this day.  Fear not!  I never disappoint you in that area!  While strolling around, checking out vendors after the race, the hubs and I ran into one of my sorority sisters from college.  One of my classic awkward moves is to hug people who are not "huggers," so I went ahead and took care of that straightaway.  Ok, awkward hug - check.  What can I do to make this worse?  Hmmm...how about be oblivious to the fact that she was one of the sponsored couples.  I hadn't recognized her married name on the website, and I guess her picture being next to it wasn't enough to help me make any connections.  Did I realize this while we were talking?  No, of course not!  I said NOTHING to the effect of acknowledging that the entire event was a fundraiser for her, her husband and 6 other couples.  So dear readers, you are welcome - I managed to slip at least one classic M-savvy moment in there.

And there you have it.  I survived my first 5K!  Now that I know I can run 3.1 miles, it's time to concentrate on being able to make it through those obstacles for the Rugged Manic in a few weeks.  Again, my goal is survival rather than finesse.  I like to set the bar low enough for the allowance of pleasant surprises when it comes to my athletic feats.  "Don't die" seems about as low as you can set it, so I should do aaamazing!

♥M

It's kind of fun to do the impossible.
- Walt Disney

P.S. THANK YOU for all of the supportive messages and well-wishes that have been sent my way today for my race, AND throughout all of my "training."  All of the kind words and support have really been an amazing source of strength whenever I needed a push or a boost. So again, THANK YOU!