Through a Glass, Darkly

This morning, three of my friends and I participated in the Women’s Only 5K Walk and Run. Two of us ran and two of us walked. I ran almost the entire thing. Almost! Except for this one thing that happened at the end. Which I am going to tell you about.

At the very end, we were approaching the finish line, and I was like, “Yay, I made it!” And then I realized it was a fake-out, and we were going to have to climb a hill, turn the corner, and come back around to the other side of the road for the actual finish line. NOT. COOL. I had to walk for about 30 seconds. I was so sad. I was so close to running the whole thing, but I had put my last burst of energy into making it to where I thought the finish line was. It was nice having the finish line be at the bottom of a hill, though. I will say that.

Also, apparently someone passed out or got hurt or something, and when the paramedics on bicycles were trying to get to her, one of them hit me. That was right at the end as well. So let’s just claim that I had to walk because A GUY ON A BICYCLE HIT ME. That is a better story anyway. (He did seem genuinely sorry. I forgive you, paramedic guy, and I hope you made it to the other person in time.)

Our time wasn’t as good as either of our previous two races, but this was a really really crowded race. There were a few bottlenecks, especially at the beginning. And then over this one really narrow bridge. So I am satisfied with my race, even if it wasn’t my best time. At one point, my friend said, “People who are really concerned with times aren’t going to be happy.” I am not really concerned about my time, and I think it would have been at least a little bit better if not for the bridge and the really slow start.

Special thanks to Meredith Brooks for her song “Bitch” that came on just as I was climbing one hill. Yeah! I kicked that hill’s butt, thanks to her! Also, special thanks to Kanye West for his song “Stronger” that come on when I was on that other hill. I don’t think I would have made it without you, Kanye.

The overall feel of the race was very cool. When I went to pick up my packet last night, I stood in a long line with a bunch of other women and I was surprised at how, “WOOO! Girl power!” it made me feel. It was nice to feel like we as women were doing something that could really help other women. I like to do my part to help kick cancer’s butt.

There were lots of supporters along the race. The supporters really do give me a burst of energy, and I appreciate them being willing to stay out there and cheer us on. But my favorite supporter was a guy with a giant bra stapled to a poster. That guy really wanted us to fight breast cancer.