The 5K….. It happened!  After months and months of preparation and even making it one of my new year’s resolutions, it’s now completely over.  After all this time working up to the race, you might have thought that I spent the night before resting and putting out my clothes so I was all ready to go in the morning.

Do you know me?  Do you even read this blog?

If you do, you KNOW I didn’t do that.  Somehow, I ended up having a delicious Asian dinner with a friend and two glasses of wine!  Two is my maximum on a Friday night after a long week of work.  And two is usually just enough for me to come home and go directly to bed (without collecting $200 dollars.)  I’m a total lightweight, and wine makes me sleepy.

Good news is that I was in bed by about 10pm; the bad news was that I didn’t really have anything ready for the race the next morning… including my mind.

Just the same, when that alarm went off at 5:30am, I popped out of bed and began the process of getting ready.  This race was about achieving a goal.  This race was about my friend Bev.  This race… well, it was scaring the crap out of me.

In fact, I was in a rush to get out the door.  As I was driving down the interstate, I realized that I had forgotten deodorant??  On a day when I was about to run/walk more than 3 miles.  Really?  In my defense, I had waited to put it on last… because our team shirts were black and the last thing I wanted was a crazy white smear.  Little did I know I’d walked out of the house without any deo.  Classic KG.

Thank goodness there was a gas station or two on the way to the park.  At 6:30am, there’s just not many other options, and frankly… you don’t get to choose your scent that early in the morning.  As punishment for the wine indulgence the night before, I got to smell like baby powder on Saturday morning.  Lovely.

Stinky Baby Powder Scented Secret from Conoco

When I got to the park, this was one of the first things I saw…

How gorgeous is City Park in Denver?

What a beautiful serene backdrop for this fantastic walk!  Also, I could see in the distance that there were a LOT of tents that had been put up for the event.  This, I loved.  This is just the 3rd year that Jodi’s Race has been in place, so to see it grow exponentially is exciting.  I can’t wait to see it next year!

I know I’ve mentioned the details before, but I’ll do it again for those of you who are new to NTTC.  Jodi’s Race for Awareness is a 5K Run/Walk that supports the education and elimination of Ovarian Cancer.  For the 2nd year, we walk/run for my friend Bev who won the fight with ovarian cancer last year.

As I got closer to the event registration booths and vendor booths, I quickly found that fabulous Team Bev (or at least those who had assembled under our cool tent.)

Isn't that a great looking team?

Let me brag on Team Bev for just a minute… 

1)  Our team had 38 members.  Yes, you heard me right… THIRTY-EIGHT!  That’s HUGE!

2)  Team Bev raised more than $1400 for Ovarian Cancer education and awareness.

3)  Our fearless team leader Bev was going through chemo last year during the race, but RAN THE ENTIRE thing this year.  How freaking inspiring is that??

Once a sorority girl, always a sorority girl

Now, we spent a little bit of time taking pics and visiting before the race, but very quickly the announcer began to lure us over to the starting line.  And THIS is when I started to get nervous.  I was about to run a race??  Holy crap!

We assembled ourselves near the starting line and waited for the action to begin.  Interestingly, just about everyone that was doing the race was suddenly going to try to run it.  IMPRESSIVE!

Yeah, that's a nervous smile on yours truly

As the race began, I had a lot of energy and was just excited to get things going!  I even suggested we conduct the 5K in a skip… but it didn’t really seem to catch on.  Alas, we started to pound the pavement.

Here we go...

Now, the majority of my training had been indoors via treadmill, so the ground definitely was a change.  Just the same, I ran with Bev and we talked the majority of the time.  We talked about the weather, about how we should do cooler white shirts next year, about how last year walking the 1-mile was about all I had in me… and we talked about my crazy breathing.

I am not a good breather.  I wonder if it’s because I’m a Colorado transplant (although I’ve been here 5 years) that hasn’t quite acclimated.  I also wonder if it’s punishment for smoking for 10 years (even though I’m more than 8 years quit.)  Regardless, all I know… if I’m running, my breathing kicks my butt.

Not too long after we started, I went to a very fast walk.  When I say a very fast walk… Bev and others were running at the same pace.  My little legs were WORKING it.  They were swinging as fast as they could to keep up and to finish this race with pride.

#499 was walking this thing with a vengeance!

After walking and running what seemed like 5K, we arrived at the 1-mile marker.  I seriously can’t even believe how long that 1st mile was.  On the treadmill when I’m watching Khloe and Lamar or Top Chef it seems to go by so much quicker.  Bizarre…

Just the same, we powered through mile 1 and mile 2, and finally reached mile 3.  Did I mention that Bev (of Team Bev fame) didn’t stop running for one minute??  She mentioned to me on the trek that her groin was killing her, but she refused to stop.  Along the race path, her family and friends had spread out to cheer her on (LOVED this) and she didn’t even stop as she gave hugs and received that moral support.

Seriously, she’s definitely a rockstar.  So incredibly impressive

As we turned the corner at mile 2.5, we saw our friend Mel coming back into the race to finish up the run with Bev.  I mentioned Mel a few days ago… she’s training for an ironman, and is one of my favorites!

We agreed that when I got to the 3-mile marker, I would begin running again.  So, that’s exactly what I did… I had a big start, a mediocre middle, and a HUGE finish.  It felt great to finish up the race in a run again.  Running underneath a finish sign is definitely something I hadn’t done since grade school.

In the end, I felt good about it all.  In the end, the race was about friends and about achieving a personal goal.  I’m going to put a check mark next to the box, even if I didn’t end up running the whole thing.  I tried something new that I never thought I could do, and it turns out I have a preference.  I prefer to walk than run.  So, I’m going to walk…

I’m going to walk many more miles.  I’m going to walk fast and I’m still going to spend time on that treadmill.  I may never be a runner, but I’ll never be that girl that chooses the one-mile over the 5K (unless it’s in the 40s and raining.)

Our fabulous and cancer-free captain!

I’m going to walk more 5Ks this year, and I’m going to get out there and walk with my friends next year for this great cause.  Together, we raised $1400 for Ovarian Cancer Awareness, and we honored our friend in a way that means so much.  Overall, I’d say it was a phenomenal day.

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