Today we walked the Royal Bunny Tracs 5k. This was our third 5k, but the last one we walked was about four years ago. Considering how far I’ve come with walking in the past year, this was an exciting milestone for me.
This was a local event put on by Manhattan Running Company and the Kiwanis to raise money for foster kids to go to summer camps and participate in school year mentoring programs. The race started at 8:30 with registration opening at 7:30. We were there around 7:15. In hindsight, we probably could have slept in a little, but I like to be prepared and ready.
Before we even signed up, I asked a friend to see if they had a time limit. I knew I wasn’t going to finish in less than an hour, and at the time, I was planning for more like an hour and a half. When we went to pick up our race packets, one of the organizers knew our name and reassured us that we could take as long as we needed. I love that we were on the radar and getting support before it even started.
We each got a Bunny Tracs T-shirt and a race number. I put my t-shirt on over the one I was already wearing and didn’t have a problem with fit. This was refreshing. Not only were plus sizes offered, but they fit like a plus size and not a medium with the wrong tag.
The race started at exactly 8:30. Jon and I stayed in the back so the runners and fast walkers could breeze past us. I wanted to enjoy the walk, not hurt myself at the beginning. I walked my normal pace on the first lap, tried to pick up the pace on the second, then started losing momentum on the third. I jogged a couple times, including the last few yards over the finish line. By the time we started the second lap, we were pretty much on the track by ourselves.
The volunteers were awesome, waiting for our laggy butts to make it to their stations and being super nice and supportive. All kinds of people threw words of encouragement at us. I wasn’t expecting that. In hindsight, I probably should have thrown some back, but all I could think to say was thanks. Which is probably okay, since someday maybe I can encourage people walking a 5k for the first time.
They had already taken down the finish line arch, but the ground line was still there, so our finish felt official. We didn’t get timed. The organizer at the beginning asked if we cared about time. We didn’t. Jon timed us on his phone though. We finished in one hour and fifteen minutes.
We made the last part of the awards ceremony and chatted with people before leaving. There were other events happening, but we were wiped and still had laundry to do.
I’m planning to sign us up for another one, and we’re going to continue training to build speed and distance. I haven’t given up plans to maybe run one someday, but I’m going to get some walks under my belt first.
Achievement unlocked. The day has been a success.
A.
The Romance Factor 