5K and Daisy Dash

Ella and I have been in training. I’ve been in training to run the Officer Shawn Silvera 5K with my friends from Moms on the Run  (or as Ella called it, Moms on the Runs) since April. Ella has been training for the Daisy Dash for about two weeks. We both felt pretty ready and confident come race morning. And after a great banquet the prior night (after being at the State Fair all day), I was amped up on carbs and inspiration.

It was a beautiful morning and I felt ready, a few butterflies, but those subsided once I met up with my friends. Off we went and for about 50 yards, I was keeping pace with one of our local weathermen, Sven, who is also a marathoner. I felt like a rockstar! He left me in the dust with his faster pace and I settled into my 10:30 pace. I’m definitely faster this year than last, and for that improvement alone, I’m quite excited. The scale never really budged, unlike last year, but my clothes fit better. A dress that I purchased before becoming pregnant with Ella wasn’t able to be zipped when I tried on clothes in May. I wore that dress to our banquet the previous night!

Betsy, myself and Jen before the big race!

Running with Sven (the super tan guy in blue)…for a few steps at least!

Ella continued her training up until her event. Ever my faithful running buddy, she waited for me to cross the finish line and was full of cheers and praise when I did!

Back on the trail, I breezed along, somewhat enjoying the run. Last year, I merely tolerated it. I did have some lows and although I wanted to walk, I didn’t. I even coaxed myself along by saying, “I want to walk, but I don’t need to walk.” That helped. There were other helpful reminders along the trail. Our amazing coach Beth (first female to finish the race!) had arrived to the park extra early and armed with sidewalk chalk, she wrote cheers and our motivational quotes along the trail. It was great!! I actually got a little choked up when I saw my name, along with the rest of my teammates, written on the trail. How could you not have a little extra oomph in your stride?

Here I come! Once I saw the finish line, I sprinted!

 

My cheerleader! I believe she’s sucking on a cracker and not frowning upon my performance.

All of the Moms on the Run (and Sven)

White Bear Lake Moms on the Run (and Sven)

I had a solid finish squarely in the middle of the pack at 32:51. Turns out the course was slightly longer than a 5K, whereas last year was slightly less than a 5K. So while my time looks worse than last year’s 30:31 – extrapolated out, I ran it three minutes faster! And, upon finishing, I didn’t feel sick. I felt great – bonus!

I swear, Ella’s not picking her nose. But in more photos than not lately, she holds up her “pondering” finger.

After the 5K and award ceremony, the Daisy Dash took place. Ella had practiced prior and was quite excited. Loran and I were counting on her to plant her feet at the start and refuse to run. I went to the line with her to line-up and like many other parents, ran the race with her – if only to keep egging her on. However, once she got in the groove, those little legs were moving! She was a little reluctant to cross the finish, if only because it was mobbed with parents, children and clowns…but I grabbed her hands and we finished strong. The runners were immediately given a medal upon finishing. Big time stuff. Ella was very proud of herself and Lily was the ultimate little cheerleader.

        

 

 

 

We were so proud of our Daisy Dasher! Not to long ago, we didn’t know if she’d even be running. Now we can’t keep up!

 

It was a great wrap-up to a great season of Moms on the Run. Now to just keep up running over the winter…so far, one week later, I’m doing okay! Maybe next season I’ll have the courage to actually stay an intermediate!

This photo was snapped by the professional photographer, Beautiful Tales Photography, at the race. She labeled it her favorite photo of the day.