1st Time!

Last night, my husband and oldest daughter decided it was time to start training for a 5K that is scheduled for the end of the month.  They are a little late to begin their training, but hey, they're training!  My middle daughter wanted to ride her bike with them and my husband suggested to her that she run with them.  I can't believe she said yes!  There is just something special about seeing your kids participate in things you love to do.  Plus, it's good for them, too.  As Charlie Sheen would say, WINNING!

Jo's total run was just over 1 mile!  Yes, there were a couple walk breaks, but hey, she's not even 7 years old, cut her some slack! :)  When I saw her coming up the street, I got up and started cheering and clapping for her.  This seemed to give her a boost because she sprinted to the finish leaving daddy in the dust!  So proud!  Now the hard part?....getting her to do it again. ;)

44 Miles, 6 Friends, 1 Tutu...and a whole lotta FUN!

The Brew-to-Brew race was, hands down, the funnest race I've ever been a part of.  Despite the 45mph winds, and the 91 degree temperature in the afternoon, we managed to have a total blast. 

There were 10 legs to this race, each averaging somewhere between 3-5 miles.  Since there were 6 girls on my team, 4 of us had to run 2 legs.  I ran legs 5 and 10.  Our first leg started at Boulevard Brewery in downtown KC at 7:30am.  We cheered on our 1st runner at the starting line, then hopped in the vehicle, pulled out the course map, and headed for the next stop.  Have you ever seen the show The Amazing Race, where people drive around aimlessly trying to find their next destination?  Well, that's what it felt like at first.  We saw parts of KC that we've never seen before...and that's a good thing...kinda scary!  But, after a while, we got the hang of it and were able to find the remaining drop off points without getting lost.

Since this was a relay, each team had to have a "baton".  Our baton was a tutu.  So, each runner had to put on the tutu, run her leg, then take it off and the next runner had to put it on.  Thank goodness we didn't care too much about our finish time because our hand-offs weren't very speedy!  At the beginning of each leg, each runner had to strike a pose for a picture before she started running.  It's not about the time, it's about having fun and making memories!...all the while raising money for cystic fibrosis.

My first leg, leg #5, was 4.7 miles...right into the wind...the WHOLE way.  Wow, that was definitely not easy.  One of my teammates said it is her goal each race to pass at least one person.  Well, on leg #5, I passed quite a few people (even some guys, heehee), so I was really proud of that leg.  However, 2 hours later and about 20 degrees hotter, I ran leg #10.  #10 was supposed to be 4.8 miles (my Garmin read over 5mi at the end, though).  So, here I was, nasty wind, 91 degrees and my tutu, trying to finish strong.  Did I mention we didn't care too much about our time?  Thank goodness for that, because I am a HUGE wimp in the heat and had to walk some of this leg.  After seeing an ambulance and a guy laying down on the side of the course, I decided it was a good thing to walk and not get overheated...even though, as a runner, I HATE having to walk.  I trudged through the last mile and finally saw my team at the side of the road!  Woohoo!  They all joined me and we all crossed the finish line together.  Perfect ending!

Me at the beginning of leg #5

You can see more pictures of our fun-filled day HERE.

And, for your viewing enjoyment, here is a really cool video HERE.