This year I am thankful for so many things. I am grateful for the opportunities I have had, new friends I have made, and the support I received from my loved ones every day.
I am particularly grateful for having the opportunity to race so many incredible events this year. I genuinely appreciate all the encouragement and understanding of everyone around me that enabled me to participate in these races. I couldn't have done it without you!
With Thanksgiving only days away, I figured it was a very fitting time to officially end my 2014 season and hit the next one (literally) running with a week-long celebration of run-giving (or Thanks-running?)!
I think my athletic season sort of ended after the Silverman 70.3 in October, as I took a break from workouts to get more involved in work projects and other fun endeavors like supporting Larry as he and his band played their first live shows in SF! Night Herons rock!
Over the past two weeks, I got back into the exercising mode again and was warming up to setting some new goals for 2015. Three 5Ks and eight days later, I was feeling much better and looking forward to 2015!
Here's my play-by-play of this week of 5ks:
November 22: Alameda Holiday Kickoff 5K
Running for MMRF and a pint glass
I saw a flyer in the gym a few weeks prior and decided to check this race out. This inaugural event had a lot going for it: it benefited the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF, a charity I supported during my CdA adventure), it was close to home, and it had a grassroots feel to it that I really appreciated. The race was organized by a local coach / triathlete in honor of his Dad, who passed away last year. This event was really fun and had all the great stuff you want in a race (personable and professional race director, great shirt, chip timing, reasonable post-race refreshments, good support team, organization) without all the extras you don't really need.
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| Rockin the RED to 3rd place! |
I managed to push the pace through the puddles and earned that 3rd place pint glass for my age group. I think this is actually the first time I won something running? Pretty cool!
This race was over pretty quickly, but it was really fun, they had beer at the finishline, and the people out there were really nice. There were also lots of fast runners which was cool to see at such a small event in the rain. Lots of Oakland Tri Club members, Alamedans, and visitors too. I am way out of practice in terms of running race strategy though... I actually thought I was running in 2nd in my age group, however I completely underestimated the time it would have taken our 100 person crowd to start the race, and some gal beat me by about 30s (started behind me / finished behind me somewhere?). Not sure I could have run much faster at that point anyway, but it would have been fun to chase someone I might have been able to catch... other than the speedy local teenagers who I recognized from training on this same trail.*(random side story below)
November 27: Brentwood Turkey Trot for Schools 5K
Volunteering and representing at a great event!
Thanksgiving day started dark and early for me this year, as I made my way out to support a great event benefitting K-12 athletic programs in Brentwood, CA. Brentwood is the home of our college's satellite campus where I began working this year.Over the past few months, I've been volunteering with the Brentwood Turkey Trot for Schools organizing team whenever possible. It was an honor to work with this dedicated group, and I was really proud to represent our college while supporting this wonderful cause.
Race morning was really fun, and it was great to see some students, faculty, and administrators from my college participating in the event. It felt good to be out there volunteering and providing a great race day experience for others! Some of those triathlon lessons came in handy during this race prep too. My early morning transition setups taught me to always bring a headlamp to early races... and this was incredibly handy as I sliced oranges in the dark to setup post-race refreshments. After getting the food chopping assembly line going, I moved over to helping direct participants to check in and selling raffle tickets. For a while I was selling more tickets to myself than to other people, but I did a better job as we got closer to the start of the race. Really cool that two people I purchased tickets for won some good prizes!
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| Trotters full speed ahead! |
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| Turkey Trotters lined up at the start |
Once the race began, we got back to work making sure the finish line was setup and the volunteers were ready to grab timing tags as they corralled runners. I was actually leading the race for a few minutes because I forgot I had my bib/chip in my pocket... and I walked right across the finish line during setup. Oops! I had just picked up my packet to give to a race-day registrant friend so she could have my shirt since we ran out during registration. I win! Speaking of winning... the guy who won came flying across the finish line in 15:42!
The highlight of this event was seeing how happy some friends and students were completing their first 5K. So awesome to play it forward and get others interested in sports! They event attracted way more runners than anticipated, and it was wonderful to see how supportive this community was of the event.
November 29: One4One Virtual 5K
Running for Mermaids!
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| Ran wearing some Mermaid gear from past events |
I have participated in several Mermaid Series events over the past few years (10K, Triathlons) and have really enjoyed each one and cannot say enough great things about the organizers. They really know what they are doing and they have an incredibly positive message. When I received an email about their One4One Virtual 5K to support their girls' running program (Mini Mermaid Club), I couldn't resist! I really appreciate the efforts this group is making to increase girls' participation in sports, and I try whenever possible to support local charities doing great things. My entry fee for the One4One Virtual 5K will sponsor one girl through their running program.
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| Views from my run |
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| evidence of the 5K along the Bay |
Although I've ended my week of Thanks-running and officially closed the 2014 season, I am really looking forward to the next year of athletic adventures. Although I haven't officially signed up for any races, I'm working on some ideas and plans for fun times ahead! The first adventure will be the RPM tri camp in January, which should be awesome!
* Random story about those kids: We crossed paths 3 times during one training run, and although they were way faster than me, they waved hello each time. Finally on the last lap they cracked a smile as they waved. They were probably wondering why this crazy lady was still running... although I like to think of it as a smile of approval. :)
