I wasn't planning to run today's 5 km Oktoberfest run. I was going to wait until next year to do my first 5km run. Michele and I had run 4 km several times and were working on five, but hadn't been able to quite get there yet. Somehow she managed to talk me into it and the night before the run I decided to do it. And I am so glad I did.
The run started from the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo. Now I've run into a mall many times in my life but never in a million years did I think I would ever run away from one. Here we are at the starting line. Die hards in the front in their spandex shorts and 3,000 other hosers at the back. The mission? Place somewhere between the Ethiopian track stars and the elderly and run the entire thing without dying in the process.
Michele, Andrea and I ran as a team. When one person started to tire, we all slowed. We pumped each other up and we encouraged each other the entire way. At 1.5 km I thought there was no way I was going to make it and then shortly after the 2 km mark I hit my stride. I felt really good. Once we hit the water station at 3 km we were on a roll (I was pumped that I was able to pull a page from my sons' book and drink water from a cup, throw it on the ground and not have to pick it up afterward). By 4 km we were all doing pretty well and by 4.5 km we were starting to pick up the pace until we were hauling it for the finish line.
My finishing time: 39:05 as captured by my timer chip that oddly enough did not look like a Lindsay Lohan SCRAM bracelet. Instead it was a small plastic disk attached to my shoelace. Not bad for an old lady with three kids who used to get winded climbing the stairs and passed by seniors with walkers while pregnant with twins.
Also not bad for somebody who has had many a conversation the past six months that go something like this:
Me: "How far do you usually run?"
Person with far more energy than me: "5 km."
Me: "And you run the whole way? You don't walk any of it?"
Person with far more energy than me: "Of course not."
Me: "Wow."
That's right people. I ran 5 km today and I ran the whole way.
Big thanks to Michele's husband Jason for taking the starting picture and the shot below. Thanks to Michele's adorable sons for cheering us on at the finish line with their beautiful banners (mine doubled for Andrea's friend Jenn who ran the 10 km and did fantastic). :)
So after that I could have gone to sleep and had a long nap. But who wants to nap on a beautiful fall day when the days with nice weather are numbered? Instead we went to the pumpkin patch. Big thanks to Michele. Every year we go to Stroms and every year I complain about the expensive pumpkins we paid for by the pound that end up being rotten when it comes time to carve them. The experience is picturesque, but expensive. This year we went to a good old fashion pumpkin patch instead. Just a field at the side of the road full of pumpkins that were $3 each and the kids LOVED it.
Here's E:
and my little O:
The coolest photo of the day? This one by Owen. Or was it Ethan? Crap. I need to get my butt in gear and get caught up before I forget everything from the past week.
The run started from the Conestoga Mall in Waterloo. Now I've run into a mall many times in my life but never in a million years did I think I would ever run away from one. Here we are at the starting line. Die hards in the front in their spandex shorts and 3,000 other hosers at the back. The mission? Place somewhere between the Ethiopian track stars and the elderly and run the entire thing without dying in the process.
Michele, Andrea and I ran as a team. When one person started to tire, we all slowed. We pumped each other up and we encouraged each other the entire way. At 1.5 km I thought there was no way I was going to make it and then shortly after the 2 km mark I hit my stride. I felt really good. Once we hit the water station at 3 km we were on a roll (I was pumped that I was able to pull a page from my sons' book and drink water from a cup, throw it on the ground and not have to pick it up afterward). By 4 km we were all doing pretty well and by 4.5 km we were starting to pick up the pace until we were hauling it for the finish line.
My finishing time: 39:05 as captured by my timer chip that oddly enough did not look like a Lindsay Lohan SCRAM bracelet. Instead it was a small plastic disk attached to my shoelace. Not bad for an old lady with three kids who used to get winded climbing the stairs and passed by seniors with walkers while pregnant with twins.
Also not bad for somebody who has had many a conversation the past six months that go something like this:
Me: "How far do you usually run?"
Person with far more energy than me: "5 km."
Me: "And you run the whole way? You don't walk any of it?"
Person with far more energy than me: "Of course not."
Me: "Wow."
That's right people. I ran 5 km today and I ran the whole way.
Big thanks to Michele's husband Jason for taking the starting picture and the shot below. Thanks to Michele's adorable sons for cheering us on at the finish line with their beautiful banners (mine doubled for Andrea's friend Jenn who ran the 10 km and did fantastic). :)
So after that I could have gone to sleep and had a long nap. But who wants to nap on a beautiful fall day when the days with nice weather are numbered? Instead we went to the pumpkin patch. Big thanks to Michele. Every year we go to Stroms and every year I complain about the expensive pumpkins we paid for by the pound that end up being rotten when it comes time to carve them. The experience is picturesque, but expensive. This year we went to a good old fashion pumpkin patch instead. Just a field at the side of the road full of pumpkins that were $3 each and the kids LOVED it.
Here's E:
and my little O:
The coolest photo of the day? This one by Owen. Or was it Ethan? Crap. I need to get my butt in gear and get caught up before I forget everything from the past week.
Comments
I downloaded the Couch to 5 k does that count..
Karen A
Jenn