Gate River Run 15K

The Gate River Run is the largest 15K in the U.S. and serves as the national 15K championship race. Olympic-quality athletes run this race...and now so do I. This morning I drove to Jacksonville to run this monster-of-a-race with Anna and Krystial. I was so excited because I have been looking forward to this for weeks. I even woke up before my alarm clock went off because I was too excited to sleep. The race didn't disappoint, but I must admit that it was very different than the 5Ks that I've been doing lately. One difference was that it was 3 times longer (obviously), but it was also different because there were so many people (15,323 to be exact). After checking in and stretching, we headed to the starting line. The gun was fired at 8:30 and then "Chariots of Fire" began to play on the loudspeaker. I got to hear almost the whole song because it took me nearly 10 minutes to make it to the starting line after the gun was fired (15,000 plus people trying to cross a starting line takes a while). Once I began running, I spent the first three miles weaving in and out of slower runners. The runners around me began to thin out a little around mile 4, but it was still pretty jammed-packed the whole time. In spite of all of the people everywhere, I was still running a pretty good race. I made it to mile 7 with no problem whatsoever. I began to tire a little in mile 8, but my pace was still pretty good. Mile 9, however, killed my time. This last mile of the race is the toughest because you have to go over a very large, steep bridge. Here's the math: one large bridge + having already run 8 miles = time killer. Needless to say, I struggled to make it to the top of the bridge. I even had to stop and walk three or four times. However, once I made it to the top, it was literally downhill to the finish. Ahhh... the thrill of victory.

So, how did I do in my first 15K? Well, I finished the race in 1:31:37. Of the 13,341 people who actually finished the race, I was number 5,028. In my age group, I finished 273 of 1,052. I would say that this is not too bad for a first try. My results were good enough this year that I'll qualify to be a seeded runner next year. This will be good because I won't have to do so much weaving in and out of people next time. Here is a picture of me, Anna, and Krystial with our medals after the race. You can really tell that we just ran 9.3 miles! We really need to start taking pictures before the race while we still look normal.

For Your Entertainment...

Last night Olivia told me and Brian to come to her room so that we could "see the play". This apparently is "the play". I do not understand any of it, but I do think that it is entertaining and so I thought that I would share.

Super Day, Super Run

Yep- It's another running post. Sorry. I'm just so glad to be getting back into something that I love to do. This morning me, Anna, and Krystial (and baby Bryce) ran in the Super Dolphin Day 5K on Saint Simon's Island. I ran in this race last year and loved the course because it was by the beach. So, I had to go back again this year. I ran a new personal best time- 26:36 and placed 4th in my age division. Anna and Krystial also ran well. The three of us are running in a MAJOR race in two weeks, so we are really trying to get in some good running time.

Sidney Lanier Bridge Run

The weather seems to have finally taken a turn for the better. This could not have happened at a better time as all of the really good road races are about to begin for this year. Two of my new years' resolutions are to increase the number of races that I do per year and to do longer races. Ultimately, I would like to work toward a marathon- but that is still a loooong way off. Still, I kicked this running season off with a bang by running the Sidney Lanier 5K with my friend Krystial this morning. This race is called the "toughest 5K in GA" - and for good reason. Runners have to cross the Sidney Lanier bridge- which is 480 in height and 7,000 feet in length. Once you reach the other side, you turn around and go back over the bridge again. Not only is it a tough race, but it is also a popular one. There were over 1,200 participants this year. The atmosphere was more rock concert than race- and this was not just because of the band that was playing at the top of the bridge. Cars were backed up on the road, and there were traffic directors everywhere. I bet it took me 10 minutes to park. Even though there were tons of people on the bridge, it didn't seem to affect my time all that much. I ran the race in 28:24. This is not my fastest time, but I'm happy with it considering the steep incline of the bridge. I am really excited that so many good races are coming up, and I guess I should warn you that there will likely be a lot of running posts on my blog in the near future.

A Few Flakes

The Weather Channel said that we may get snow. There was even speculation that it may be 2-3 inches deep. After waiting anxiously all day, we finally got a few flakes around 8:30 last night. A few flakes- that's it. Although I was a bit disappointed, Olivia was not. Judging from her reaction you'd have think that we were witnessing a blizzard. It was dark and cold, so she was only out in the snow for a few minutes- but those few minutes made an impression. Owen was already in bed, so he'll just have to wait until next time to see the snow. Maybe "next time" will come before he is a teenager.

Make-a-Friend

For their Valentine's gift this year, Owen and Olivia both received new stuffed animals. These animals are super special because the kids picked them out and "built" the animals themselves. The fun started this afternoon when the kids and I loaded up and went to Make-a-Friend. Make-a-Friend is one of those places where kids can pick a bear (or other type of animal), stuff it, dress it, and take it home. It's kind of like the Build-a-Bear chain of stores. Olivia had a blast. The sales lady even commented that she was surprised by how "into" it Olivia was. Owen, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less. He was more interested in running around the store and checking out all of the stuffed animals on display than creating his own animal. It worked out, though, because Olivia was happy to do double-duty and make sure that Owen's animal got made.

Step one in the process of building the bear was actually choosing the bear. Owen's decision was easy. He saw a penguin right away and pointed to it, so that is what he ended up with. Olivia kept trying to choose the display animals that were already stuffed and dressed. She didn't understand why I was directing her to the flat, unclothed animals. Once it finally clicked that she was going to "build" it, she chose a blue bear (because blue is her favorite color). Step two in the bear-building process was choosing a heart to go inside. Olivia picked a blue heart for hers, but Owen opted for a white angel instead. The next step was stuffing the bear. The kids got to help by stepping on a pedal that made the stuffing come out. Olivia had to step on the pedal for both her and Owen's animals because Owen wouldn't keep his foot on it for any length of time. Owen did manage, however, to find the red button that turned the stuffing machine off and on and he kept trying to hit it. You can actually see him going for the button in this picture.

After stuffing the bear and penguin, it was time to groom them. In order to do this, the animals were taken to a grooming area where there were little brushes and yellow pipes that blew out air. Olivia really got into this part, and the blue bear was well groomed. The neglected penguin, unfortunately, never made it to this station.

After grooming, it was time to choose an outfit for the animals. Olivia chose a pink princess outfit- complete with hat and wand- for her bear. Owen chose a soccer outfit because it came with a little soccer ball and he wanted to play with the ball. While Olivia helped the sales lady dress both animals, Owen threw the little ball around the store. At least this kept him occupied. Once the animals were dressed, it was time to name them. Olivia named her bear "Bluebear" and Owen's penguin was named "Penguin". I know, real original, right?

The kids received birth certificates for their animals, and then it was time to go.

And so, let me present Owen with his new animal, "Penguin" the soccer-playing penguin (and Owen is still more interested in the little soccer ball)

Here is Olivia with "Bluebear" the princess blue bear. Olivia loves the bear and is already talking about going back to Make-a-Friend so that she can groom Bluebear some more.
I think that this will be a Valentine's experience that she will remember. (Owen-not so much).

Snow Much Fun at Winterfest

While much of the country is dealing with snowstorms and blizzards, here in Southeast Georgia we are having to create our own snow. This weekend, our church hosted its annual "Winterfest" event, and artificial snow was the main attraction. Actually, the "snow' was lots of shaved ice, but the children in attendance didn't care. Since we never get any snow down here, they will accept any substitute that even slightly resembles the real thing. Owen and Olivia had a great time playing in the snow and on the new playground equipment that our church recently purchased. Of course, there was an abundance of good food to warm us up after playing in the ice (I mean snow). Chili, hot chocolate, and cupcakes were readily available. The kids had a good time as did their parents and grandparents. I'm glad that this event turned out to be a success.