Dabbling in Fitness: Race for the Cure

With just 2 weeks to go, I signed up for the Race for the Cure. After signing up I had a few hesitations... first fundraising - I've never been good at it; second was training because I've been very lax in forcing myself out on runs the past several months.

My original fundraising goal was $100. After just one day with a sign up sheet at work - I had to raise my goal. Not just double it - but triple it! In the end, my co-workers and a few others really came through in donations and pledges - I raised $435 for Susan G. Komen! That made me feel great! It's so inspiring to know so many people willing to give what they can to a good cause - and it helped me really dedicate myself to making it through the full course.

Another reason to do it: my friend Trevor said he'd run the race with me! We don't get to see Trevor too often - he's usually off filming for the company he works for - so it's always nice to catch up. And, it's especially nice to have someone to run alongside on a 5K. Trevor was kind enough to go as slowly as me and take the very long walk breaks with me. I kept wanting to tell him that he didn't need to run with me - but he seemed to not mind and we were having a good time chatting as we ran. Hopefully the next time we race together I'll be in better shape and can run the full race course!

Anyway - race day was GORGEOUS. The sun was shining and there was a slight breeze. It was quite humid, but not too hot. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many people running for a good cause - and seeing all of the breast cancer survivors was especially inspiring.

The race course itself didn't really have any hills and there were plenty of people along the course cheering everyone along. Hopefully for one of my future races I'll have a few cheerleaders of my own - either along the route or at the end. I think seeing a familiar face along the way would be a great motivator.

I didn't have a great time - 52:18 was my time. (That's like an 18 minute mile! Yikes!) But it did feel good to be out running. Today I'm a little sore - but I attribute that to then walking around downtown and doing a LOT of crouching to get photos of the classic cars at Cars on State.

Since Chris was working the event, he wasn't able to get a photo of me crossing the finish line - but he did get this fun shot after the end of the race:

I did treat myself to a non-diet lunch after the race: Chicken sandwich and a Pimms Cup at The Coopers Tavern. Best chicken sandwich I've ever had - it had chipotle mayo and avocado spread and it was the kind of sandwich I dream about. Totally worth the splurge. :)

Until next time - happy dabbling! :)