Ready, Set, Go!

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This morning Gina and I fulfilled a long-time goal for us and the boys: we ran a 5K race as a family. Technically, Gina and I ran while Sam and Nate got pushed in the stroller. Yes, we could have waited until the weather was a little warmer to do this, but we decided to just bundle up, get out there and do it. The race was at Lake Grapevine at 8:00, a 40-minute drive from our house. We had to arrive before the race in order to pick up our timing chips (that sounds cool ... but it's really not). We also had to make sure the boys had breakfast before we left because they get VERY cranky when they're hungry (just like their daddy). All of these little tidbits add up to a very early morning for all of us. Actually, my morning got started even earlier because I took GiGi and PaPa to the airport at 4:45 AM. Anyway, we made it there with plenty of time to get ready for the race.

The temperature at race time was a balmy 46 degrees, but my adrenaline was pumping a bit so I didn't feel it so much. The race got off to a bit of a slow start because it's not exactly easy navigating a double stroller through large crowds of people while running.  We all stayed together for the first mile. I was pretty comfortable running at an easy pace, especially with the stroller. However, I could feel my pace picking up and I noticed that Gina was having a hard time keeping up. She eventually told me to go ahead, which by this time I was eager to do. Many of you already know that I am extremely competitive, and I can't stand to run a 5K without pushing my pace and passing people. My attitude slowly transformed from "Oh, this is so wonderful running a 5K as a family," to "Move it slowpoke before I mow you down with my double stroller!"

My first mile was about 11 minutes, my second mile was 10:13 and my third mile was 8:41. I am not sure what my last .1 mile was, but I guess I could do the math to figure it out. My overall time was 31:07, which put me at 15th in my age group and 193 overall. Gina's overall time was 36:33, which was good enough for 11th in her age group and 273 overall. So, in comparison to her peers, she outperformed me.

Here are a few more stats/facts for you:

  • Pre-race breakfast: coffee
  • Post-race breakfast: omelette
  • .5 miles: the distance left in the race when Nate started screaming
  • About 100 pounds: the total weight of the stroller with the boys
  • 369: the total number of people in the 5K
  • 302: the total number of people in the 15K

The funniest part of the whole race was that Gina ran with the camera and took pictures mid-race. Only a dedicated mom would think of doing that. Here are a few of the shots she took.

Pre-race team photo

Race-timer chips to record our blazing times!

Our competition

Making our move

We are already looking forward to our next race, and you can expect to see better times because we will be training between now and then. We'll keep you posted.