Photo Diary: G-O
Last month I ran the GO STL! Halloween race. Not the half marathon that I paid for and planned on running. I ran the 5k. Whomp. Whomp.
At first, I was angry. Then, upset. Ashamed. Why was my body taking SO long to recover from injury. Why haven't I bounced back from being out for ten weeks quicker? Why am I running so slow? Every self depreciating thought came to my mind, pushing me further into debating if I even wanted to put in the effort to into a hobby I'm passionate about race again. Ever. But, running is my quiet place, where I go to for stress relief, runner's high, and sense of self worth. Not every run is noteworthy, but they are mine. Quitter? That's not in my DNA.
I left my mental pity party, went to packet pick up, and bumped down to the 5k. Which was incredibly easy peasy by the way. And the shirt was freaking cute and a tech tee, so all my troubles washed away. I'm a swag bag whore. Don't judge.
Picked up my gal pals bright an early on race day and headed downtown. And totally took out a road barrier. In my defense, it was in the way and I found an awesome FREE parking spot. My sole sista brought presents in the form of pre-measured Spark in snack bags and made Angie hold them like gold bouillon. We bring our A game. Everywhere.
A, my Aunt, and I ran the 5k.
Bib: 7448
Time: 35:05; 522 of 1,306 overall, 307 of 928 gender, 47 of 155 age
(via Instagram)
My pal A finished, looked around and realized she had passed me! First time ever. She did great, and I'm so proud. She, however was not impressed and cited her win was solely due to the fact I was injured. Nope, a win is a win. And you best believe I'm far too competitive to let that become a trend :)
Grabbed a beer (how adorable are these tiny cans?!) and waited for my aunt to finish.
Strolled through the vendors, hit up the medical tent (hooked, totally helps loosen me up), and made a sign for Amie (more on our weekend fun, here) that lasted about a block till I pitched it. Cuz carrying a beer and a sign is far too daunting a task at 9 am. Friend of the year over here.
Once my aunt finished we took her to all the "good" swag tents and hung out. The 5k began thirty minutes prior to the half and approximately one hour had lapsed. Thank God for social media and people watching. I noticed the Holly decided not to run and was kicking it here. So I did what any rationale person would do. Told her I'd come keep her company. A perfect stranger. How I've never been kidnapped and made into a skin suit is beyond me. And I have plenty of saggy skin. Mercy.
So I dragged A and my aunt, who have zero clue what a blog is (I had to explain this to my aunt - twice), that we were going to walk four blocks so I could meet Holly in person. And, I spent the walk updating them on all my blog stalking, why I need to meet her (cuz she's awesome, der), and to play it cool. Don't embarrass me!
First. Holly is a gem. She gave me the biggest hug even though I'm sure I smelled like beer and seriously foul perspiration. She was super warm to all of us and we chatted till it was time to cheer on Mel and Amie at the finish line. Pretty sure my aunt said, "so you are the lady that "does the blogs too" and "so what is you blog about, and why?" Sorry about that. We don't get out much.
A and I left my aunt at the finish to look for Amie and we jogged the course looking for her to be all "you can do it, reach for the stars". A didn't realize I meant "run" and "for an undetermined distance", but was a trooper. Once we hit a hill on Tucker I stopped. Amie loathes hills like a fiery inferno. Fact. Remember this race? Home girl would need a friendly face right about there. And hot damn if I wasn't right, a few minutes later we saw her approaching! I swear I have ESP. We paced her up until the last sprint finish - pacing is so much fun, though I'm pretty sure the only words I could think of was "you can do it". I need a bigger vocabulary.
Squinty eyes and not looking at the camera ftw. I have no idea why I'm not a model yet.
Overall, it was a great way to start the day. There is nothing better than spending quality time with family, good friends, meeting new ones. God is so good.
I can't wait to race again. Soon.
