We Boob Troop, Why don't you?

So this weekend I ran in the Race for the Cure in Houston. Let me just start out by saying if you have not signed up for one in your area, leave my blog and go find one in your area and sign up. Here, I'll even make it easy for you: Click this Race for the Cure and find one in your area.

I don't care if you are a runner, a walker or just starting out. Sign up for the race. You wanna know why? Not just because I am a survivor, though that is a good selfish reason. Sign up because so many people run, walk or wog. There is no way you will feel out of place. There were over 30,000 people at the event here in Houston. That's right, 30K. Most people never run 5Ks except this one. They had a group of friends from work, church, school or some other organized group that said "hey you want to run with me in the Race for the Cure?" And they said, yes.

Now did they run? Well most of them walked, and I mean most of them. Why is that great? Because you won't feel pressured to run the whole thing. So you get the experience of a first 5K without the pressure of running the whole thing. Now, I am not going to get on my soap box about how your goal for the first 5K is to just finish. But you know how I feel.

So what better way to get the first 5K under your belt than to do one that is so unique and big that there is no way you will feel out of place. You know why? Because you will see all walks of life out there. Young kids, teenagers, moms, survivors, those still fighting, old men, old women, pink hair, no hair, size 2, size 22, tall, short, running, walking, skipping, walking with their dog, running with funny hats...you name it. There is no way you will feel "different".

Look I am fluffy. I totally can relate to being embarrassed by running in public. I have been there. I have been the one tugging at my shirt when someone past by or letting out a huge sigh when I thought I was alone on the trail and someone passes me or someone drives by me and they have to slow down to make a turn and in the back of my head I am thinking they are slowing down to get a better look at the fluffy gal that is running. Again, read my older posts.... don't worry about that. But if you still want to, then sign up for the Race for the Cure. You will never feel more accepted and loved than you will at this.

Every bridge you run under, every turn you make, heck every 10 yards, there are people cheering you on. There is loud music playing and people just having a good time. When you get your race bib, memorize your number. Every once and a while, turn the Ipod down and listen to them chant your number, "Go 264! You're doing great 264! You are amazing 264!" I even gave some of them my princess wave ( you know closed hand, just a slight twist of the wrist).

Now with 30K of people, it can take up to 30 to 45 minutes before you even pass the starting line from the time the gun goes off. That is okay. If you have a chip, then as soon as you touch the mat that runs across the starting line, your personal time will start counting. Then when you cross the finish line, it will calculate your personal time.

Oh and if you think it is too hard. There is so much activity going on around you, bands playing, people handing out goodies, different organizations performing, that you will forget you are running and just have fun....and running should be fun.

So on a personal note: my Nike+ failed me again and found myself running in silence at the end of the race. Of my team of 12, I was the last one in. I was about 7 minutes behind the person before me....so what? My finish time was 54:19. I finished in 3135 place out of 4142 competetive runners. And I am proud of it!! The longest time for the run? 2 hours and 24 minutes for the competitive runners. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Look, I am not trying to tell you what to do, well actually I am. If you are just starting C25K or any running program or maybe you are about to finish, sign up for a 5K. If you can sign up for the Race for the Cure, please do so. This race is unique because it attracts more than just runners and even avid walkers. It attracts all different levels of fitness or lack of fitness and you are guaranteed to feel comfortable and welcome.

If you sign up for one, let me know when you will be running and I will make sure to cheer you one and see how you did.

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I finished my first 5K and lost to a three year old.

What a rush! I never had a moment that I didn't want to do this. I just wanted to get it over and wow what an amazing experience. I don't know if I ever shared but I am not a morning person so not only was this my first 5K but I was running earlier than I ever had in the past. My daughter ran this with me. If you ever read my very first post, this is why I am doing this. I want to build memories with her. After years of pushing her in a stroller when I went walking, years of having her next to me while I did walking on a treadmill, in these teenage years, I had become unfit and couldn't run to my neighbor's house. I had to change that. She was becoming a runner and I am too big for a stroller, so I had to get moving.

When we get to the Johnson Space Center we meet up with our friends from Bible Study, Dianne and her husband Kelly. They give us some more tips. We are runners in completely differently leagues. This is my first 5K and they have qualified and run the Boston Marathon. So I really value the time and attention they have given me and their words of encouragement. I get teary eyed just thinking about how wonderful they have been.

While they were doing a 20 minute warm up, I hear my name being called. My best friend in the world,Julissa,was there. She started running about 2-3 months ago. She started doing 5Ks about two months ago. So we are both new runners but she jumped in before me. I was so glad she was there. We have never run together. I have a confession. Some people have drinking buddies. People that for whatever reason, when they gather, they drink. Well she was my eating buddy. When we got together, it was an eating experience. For years it was Johnny Tamales. They knew us coming in the door and probably knew our order before we did. When she moved out of the area, we made it a point to find a new place to eat and chat. We knew we had a problem when my daughter became Pavlov's dog. As soon as she saw Julissa, she was hungry. We have decided to meet on the weekends, for 5Ks. Speak it into your life and act if you do, even when you don't and it will happen. We said that for years and here we were today at a 5K and in two weeks we will do another one.

So I didn't do a warm up walk and I should have. People were running as they past the Start line. I forgot that this was a race. I kept a pretty even pace. My goal: make sure there is someone always behind you and I succeeded. There were 70 year old women and another girl like me, fluffy that were behind me. I think for the first mile and half, there were 15 people behind me but at mile 2 this group of seniors passed me and the EMT guys were riding along side of me. Seriously, they rode next to me for all of mile 2. But none of that mattered. What mattered was the three year old that I spotted in the middle of mile two.

There he was walking along side his father. So cute, so young, so much my nemesis. You have got to be kidding me!?!?! He has been ahead of me this whole time? Oh no, I am picking up the pace. And that is how mile two and three went. I didn't focus on the seniors passing me or the water people shutting down near me. I focused on him. When he sped up, so did I. When he slowed down, I thanked God and slowed down. And then the unthinkable happened. His daddy picked him up and put him on his shoulders. Not fair!!! No one was here to pick me up and give me a rest. For 10 yards his father carried him. Sure it was only 10 yards but apparently that was all he needed because when his father put him down, he took off. And in a matter of minutes he was fleeting speck in front of me until I couldn't see them anymore.

So I was left to my own devices to push on. I listened to Lose Yourself about 4 times to push through the last mile. About 1/4 of mile from the finish I saw my daughter coming back for me. I wanted to cry but I learned from W5D3 that crying takes my breath away and I needed all the oxygen I could get. She smiled and stayed back. Somehow she knew that I loved the support but this was something that I needed to do alone. In one of the pictures, you see me in the tunnel and she is hanging back. As I rounded through the tunnel to the finish, they were all there: Dianne, Kelly, Julissa, Jan (her boyfriend) and my husband. As I passed them, I yelled, "If this was an endurance race....I would be the winner!!!

I have truly been bitten by the running bug. I can't wait to do my next one. Well, there is one in two weeks on the trails in front of my house but August is the hottest month for us. Julissa says she is doing it and that if I don't, I'll have to make breakfast for them. As much as I love food, I hate to cook. So looks like I am running. So my goal, find that three year old and beat him!! LOL

One a side note: The 1/2 mary here in January is closed. It hit max within hours of opening the registration. So we are thinking of doing the 1/2 mary in Austin....hills. hmmmm

Addedum to original post:

These are things I fogot to mention in my original post:

• I find it very hard to drink from a cup while I am running. Most of the water ended up on my shirt.
• I hate litter so I found it even harder to throw my cup down onto the ground after trying to drink from it
• Tuesday was the firt time I ever walked/run 5K, on Saturday, during my 5K in the heat, outside, Joan Benoit Samuelson came over my Nike plus to congratulate me on my fasted mile ever!! so I recorded my best pace time...Can you believe it?

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