Monday, October 15, 2012

The Cupcake Classic & Hamilton 5K

Making them run a 5k brings me great joy!

Sunday was the 4th Annual Hamilton 5k to raise funds for a local elementary school.  The weather was perfect for a run, cloudy and in the 50s.  I've never done this race because, as I've said before, I used to refuse to do local races for fear my local friends, neighbors would find out that I was a fraud.  But I have finally let that go and it turns out to have been a pretty great idea.  My sister decided to join us for the run with my 2 sons Dylan (10) & Maddox (9) along with our favorite friends Jack & Joel.  The amazing, Nicole Redmond, "volunteered" to keep Charlotte for the race so no one had to "deal" with her while we were running.  Running with Wendy was awesome (just don't tell her, I'll never admit it).  She asked what my PR was and what my goal was - my goal was to run a 5k under 30:00.  My last one I came close at 30:59 but knew I could have done better had I not stayed with Dylan at the beginning which slowed me down.  That's right - I just blamed my 10 year old son for slowing me down - I'll use any excuse I can get my hands on.  Telling Wendy my goal was either the best idea or the worst (hindsight is always 20/20).  We were cruising along - too fast for me but it wasn't unbearable.  She's way faster than me and I told her to go ahead but she insisted on staying with me as she had no goal for this race.  At the mile 2 water station I was hurting and dying of thirst.  I said, "I need to stop for water".  NO WAY - you are NOT stopping bc then you won't PR this race.  Again, not sure telling her was a good idea at the time.  But I listened knowing that at the end I'd be happy I did.  It was "only" one mile left but a long mile at that.  We got to 2.5 miles and she says, "OK now we're going to kick it" - sadly sister sledge, I AM kicking it.  I was giving it all I had - if it had been up to me I'd still be at the Mile 2 water station.  Then I turned into the parking lot and saw the clock 28:15 and I knew I had no only beat my goal time but crushed it by over a minute.  Then I kicked up as fast as I could for an official finish time of 28:51.  I was over the moon but hurting badly. 


Throughout the entire race we were waiting to see the boys on the side of the road crying, breathing heavy, crawling etc but we never saw them until the end.  They also killed it.  Not only did they kill their own PR times but they beat me by a lot - they are usually my excuse to go slow.  Dylan told me that excuse was now out the window - don't you just love kids?  They are so great.

The Boys!
We are all experiencing some leg pain today.  Yesterday the boys were pretty much wiped out since after the 5k they both had a football game to play, which nearly caused them to be punished until the end of time but once we got to the game they were fine (that's a story for a parenting blog that is too boring to even explain).
  
Wendy, Deihdra, Dylan, Jack, Maddox, Joel




This 5k coincides with the Virtual Cupcake Classic and I was able 
to wear this awesome shirt to the race.  You are supposed to eat cupcakes after the race but we were in such a whirlwind after that we never got to it.  We made up for it today - after school the 3 of us enjoyed these amazing red velvet cupcakes in honor of our awesome day yesterday.  



Let them eat CUPCAKES!
Let them eat CUPCAKES!
Thank you greatly to my beloved sister, Wendy, for pushing me beyond my comfort level.  To Nicole for housing Charlotte even after the race, Liat for being the best "holder of shit" there is.  To Holly for putting on a great event for me to PR.  To Run with Jess for the best tshirt which offered up many great comments.  And for my boys - nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids enjoy sport and working hard to achieve their goals (even when I told them their goals were insane - they proved me wrong).


                Dylan Miller-JonesM10Glen Rock 27:10.148:45

            Maddox Miller-JonesM9Glen Rock 28:18.259:07
                        Deihdra MillerF38Glen Rock 28:51.689:18