The good, the bad, and the ugly!

I completed a 5K on Friday night and a 1/2 Marathon last Saturday in Champaign.

The good:  In came in 7 out of 125 ladies in my age division in the 5K!  Yay me!

The bad:  I attained my WORST time ever on the 1/2 Marathon.

The reason:
I met my son, Chad, shortly before the race began.  (His life was complicated that weekend, and Stephanie dropped him of just in time to start the race.)  We had little time to find our "wave," so Chad said, "Let's just go in here in "C."  It was the only play we could squeeze in.  (Group A is for the elite runners and I was supposed to be in wave “H”).

The result:  I was 19/41 in my division. I think that maybe it was because I started out so fast, not wanting to be trampled by all of those fast runners, and then I ran out of steam. Oh well. I got a cool medal from last night, a cool one from today AND an extra medal because I took the I-Challenge! And I FINISHED. (Chad did a PR for this course!)

I think 3,000 runners passed me up until I found my group. I even laughed out loud. There would be a lot of runners, and then quiet, and I would hear the pitter patter of the feet for the next wave as they began their fast lane changing around slow me!

The ugly:
A funny thing happened on our way home from the 5K. I went in to get a soda, and the guy could tell I had just finished running. He asked if I was running Saturday, and I said, yes---I’m a fool to do it, I guess! Roger went in, and when he came back to the car he was laughing. Apparently, the clerk made a comment to another customer, saying, “A runner was just in here.” The other guy said, “Oh, what did she look like?” The clerk said, “Like your mother.” HAHAHA. I guess I do look like someone’s mother!

I'll never forget these times where Chad and I say to each other at the start:  "I'll see you at the finish line."  It is sweet each time we do it--which we may be a month from now at the Sunburst in South Bend.  I'm pushing myself to be more consistent in my running so I will be more prepared for the 10K.

Stay tuned!