I'm not broke but you can see the cracks

Thank you all so much for your advice and suggestions.

The first two miles of the race were perfect...the third mile, well...

I stuck to the routine. Got up at 5:30 had my banana and Luna bar a little coffee and a lot of water.

The entire pit crew cam along...Mom picked Scott and me up and we headed to Dalton.

This was a very unique experience in that there were all types of people there. There was a 2K, an un timed 2K and the 5K. There were groups from all over the area competing for a participation award. There were businesses, schools, a group of Fire Fighters and a group of Marines. 5,935 people of all shapes and sizes participated. This year's Bill Gregory Health care Classic saw a record number of participants.

We lined up for the 5k and after they changed the starting line 3 times we were off. The first mile went great. There was a huge hill and I charged up it. The second mile was equally good and my times in the first and second mile were almost identical.

The day did not turn out as expected. It did not rain...it was a beautiful, but humid, day. I decided on the starting line that I was going to go the "run until I am tired" route. There were two more hills on the second mile and that was the only walking I did. Right after I passed the two mile marker I decided I would do a walk/run the third mile.

All of this is to lead up to the fact that the third mile was THE WORST.

Right after that there was the fourth hill, that just about killed me. At this point I really felt myself overheating and I started to feel a bit light headed. So, for the entire third mile I walked a minute and ran a minute...until the huge hill at the end that it took me two minutes to walk up and then I ran the last two minutes into the shoot. I have never seen so many people at the end of a race - it was amazing...every person was welcomed with a huge burst of support.

Mile 1: 11:21
Mile 2: 11:23
Mile 3: 12:27

Total time: 35:11

I walked about 500 yards, caught my Mom's eye and sat down in the shade. I was not sure if I was going to throw up or pass out. Scott got me some water and some orange wedges and I sat there for about 10 minutes and regrouped. In addition to a rather normal T Shirt we did get a cool backpack bag:

We hung out a little while longer and watched folks come in and then we headed out.

Following the aftermath last weeks post race meal I decided to stick with ole' faithful and we headed to IHOP for pancakes! Those were the best pancakes I have ever had!

I am SO happy that Momma and Scott were there with me. We ended up without a camera so I made sure that we got a picture of the crew back at the house.

I have spent a lot of time reflecting on this race. I did not reach my goal, I did awful on the third mile and I felt sick at the end. I can see myself walking away from this one feeling sorry for myself.

But with reflection I think I have put some things into perspective. Ironically, this race was one month to the day that I ran for the first time since last summer. So, with less than a month of preparation I ran two 5Ks with consistent times. While I did not reach my goal this race I think I would be shallow to think that reaching a goal was all this race was about. It was about Dr. Gregory and what he meant to my life...an so many other peoples lives!

I can honestly say...I am proud of myself!

After a nice long nap we went to Aunt Jan's for a tailgate party before we all went to the Lookouts game. You all know how much I LOVE baseball:

But...with this crew you can not, NOT have fun!

We never got the expected rain yesterday, but it hit us this morning. I am hoping that it will cleat so that I can work in the garden. Otherwise I am looking forward to a quiet day at home!

Take Care
Molly

I'm alive
I'm being born
I just arrived, I'm at the door
Of the place I started out from
And I want back inside
-U2