First Race Post Baby #2

Well, I lied.  I told you my second post would be about my marathon goals.  This post is actually about the race I ran on Sunday.  I ran the Semper Fred 5K last weekend.  It was my first race after having my son, Mister P.  He’s 9 months old now.   With my first child, Miss P, I ran my first race when she was 10 weeks.  I didn’t even go for my first run until Mister P was about 6 months old.  Better late than never, I suppose.  That first run is a post in itself.  Another time.

Initially, I had lofty goals of running the half marathon last weekend.  But by March, I finally accepted that there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell that was going to happen, and I switched to the 5K.  Which was a good thing, because then I didn’t have to find childcare.  They told me I could run with the stroller.  Woohoo! 

So Saturday night it was off to Fredericksburg for packet pickup, and decent dinner, and a good nights sleep.  Or, so we thought.  It took nearly 2 hours to get to Fredericksburg.  Packet pickup went smoothly, dinner was so so.  And that good nights sleep, who was I kidding?  Two kids in a strange hotel room…not a chance!

Race Day:

Woke up at 4:00 a.m.  Tossed and turned in bed until 5:00 a.m.  Finally decided it was time to get up, get dressed and get the kids ready if we were going to get to the race on time. 

5:30 a.m.  – I am dressed.  Trying to wake up Miss P.  She is NOT a morning person.  She whined, cried, kicked and fought, and then finally decided she wanted to race.  And we were out the door by 5:50, so I guess miracles do happen.

By 6:30 a.m. we actually at near the starting area.  Music blasting, people everywhere, and all I could think of was the poor people who booked rooms at the hotels near the race start that were not participating in the race.  Nothing like a 6:00 a.m. wake up call that includes “Unskinny Bop” blaring from a truck and a bunch of Marines outside your window.  Suckers!

At 7:00 a.m. the Marine Corps Half Marathon started, and then the 5K runners lined up.  I had to start at the back since I was pushing the doublewide stroller.  That was me playing by the rules, and being nice.  Note to self:  Do not line up behind the people who are obviously walking.  Ugh, a post on race etiquette will soon follow. 

Anyway, 7:15 a.m. and we’re off.  I spent the first half-mile or so weaving my big ass stroller in and out of all the walkers taking up the whole flipping street.  By the time I caught up with the pack, I was exhausted.  By the time I passed the 1-mile marker I was spent.  Had to walk.  Not happy.  I recovered after a few hundred feet, and I started to run again.  Then came the hills…and the Marine with the megaphone.  He’s lucky he was cute.  I decided not to hurt myself on the uphill, and just enjoyed the down hill…as long as the stroller didn’t get away from me.  And then it was uphill again.  Whew!  And I hadn’t even made it two miles yet.  I began to question my sanity.  How the heck was I going to run a marathon if I couldn’t even complete a 5K?  Then it all evened out, for a little while.  So I ran.  Finally, the finish line is in my sight, and I realize it is…UPHILL!  Really?  What kind of sadistic freaks make up a race course where you actually finish uphill.  Oh yeah, Marines!  Well, they are not pushing an extra 100 pounds up that hill.  It may not seem like much to them, but to me it was like Everest.  But of course I was NOT going to walk across the finish line.  I might hobble or even crawl, but I wasn’t going to walk.  I even tried to pass the old lady in front of me just before the finish, but sadly she beat me by 5 seconds.  I just didn’t have enough get up and go.  But I finished.  My time:  00:43:31.  Not a land speed record, but hey, not too shabby considering the stroller, the hills and the 100% humidity.   And I really just wanted to be less than 45 minutes.  Yay me! 

And you know what made it all worthwhile?  I mean besides the very attractive Marines at the finish lines with medals?  I did it with my kids.  And they had fun.  And they know their Mommy is hard-core because she pushed them for 3.1 miles on a humid day, up some hills all for…FUN?  

As for me, I needed this race.  It reminded me how much I love races.  I am not fast.  I never come in even close to the top of my age group.  But it is so energizing.  So much fun.  And so worth the struggle.  So how do I plan to go from 3.1 miles to 26.2?  Heck if I know, but I know I'll enjoy the journey.  

Next Post:  This time I mean it:  Goals for my Marathon.