Live Oak 5k/ Tall Mom's Race for the Cure 10k Pt 2!

.....And a Lesson Learned

Today was my second 5k of the weekend. It was a beautiful 5k at a local horse farm. There were options for: 10k run, 5k run, or 5k walk. I had signed up for the 5k run with some people from work a while back and was excited to let it all out on the muddy cross country trails of this farm.

The Group From Work

I'm on the left in the pink...of course. :)

However, my plans changed when my sister & niece paid me a surprise visit from out of state! My niece K is 6 years old. Her & my sister are signed up for their first 5k up in North Carolina next weekend. But after telling them about my race they decided to ride out there with me this morning and register for the walk today.

I decided it was more important to stay back with my niece and encourage her through her first race rather than try to run it out on the course. So that's what we did. We went as fast (or as slow at some points) as she wanted. With the race having a very small turnout we were pretty near last place. But we were having a lot of fun in the mud & wet grass along the course. I was able to teach her about pacing, not going out too fast, and enjoying the race.

Me & K before the race

 K running on ahead during Mile 1

We kept a pretty slow pace, averaging 17 min/mile. But I wasn't worried about time at all! I was having a blast!

About a mile in K got tired and started really slowing down. I offered to piggy-back her. Whew...was I in for a workout!! Have you ever carried 50lbs on your back for a mile?? Wow! I got a great full body workout while walking!

K's preferred mode of transportation

After catching her breath (and me losing mine) she was back on her feet. About halfway through we looked across the field to see my friend from work running to the finish with her dog 'Lilly'. She finished with 34 minutes! Way to go!!

H & 'Lilly' Running in to the Finish

When I saw H running I could have gotten sad about not actually 'running' this race...but then I looked over at my niece and she was having so much fun, it made any regret for my decision disappear.

Up ahead from this point we reached the water station and I taught her about saying thank you, smiling, and what the race volunteers have to do to make everything work perfectly for our race. She was very nice to them, I was proud. 

As we approached the last mile (after a bit more piggy-backing and some older ladies talking about how strong I looked...Thank You ladies) me and K let it out for a bit towards the finish.

As we were on the final leg of the race I taught her to be courteous to other/faster runners and allow them right of way. She was a great listener.

Coming in to the finish chute I allowed her to run way ahead of me as I kept walking. She had the loudest cheering from the spectators out of everyone!! It was an amazing experience and I was so happy to have shared it with her. I hope I've given her a little of the running/racing bug. She definately has the competitive spirit for it!!

K & Me at the Finish

Overall it was an amazing day. We finished at 53:16 and I wouldn't have wanted it to go a minute faster. I was reminded today what I love so much about running. It's really for everyone. Regardless of fitness level, or age. It's a great life experience & learning experience. I'm glad I was able to share some of my experience & knowledge with my niece. Maybe she'll grow up to be a marathon runner! 

This was part 2 of my weekend 10k for Tall Mom's Race for the Cure. I was very happy to share this with my fellow walkers today and hope they'll participate in something in the future for a cause. Thank you Tall Mom for hosting this!!!

A little mud on your Sole is good for your Soul