#31 Running for Home

The most interesting part about this Fifty 5Ks challenge is that I get to discover new places and meet people who I would have never otherwise met.  Our paths would never have crossed.

Number 31 was held in Kentucky.  Jo and I arrived late.  We got lost.  Now, in fairness, we were in Kentucky and that is not my strong suit.  I had looked up a map of the park to get an idea of the course and found this:


I was a little concerned that this was the actual route for the race.  So with a little trepidation, we pull into the parking lot, and get our numbers and they send us up the hill to the start.  They assure us that the course is marked.  Just follow the people.  Okay.  Easy enough. 

The route meanders through the park which sits on the southern edge of the Cincinnati airport. There are several memorials to various plane crashes.  I look to the sky. Clear...with no planes raining down.  Okay, we are good to go.

The pack of participants is long gone.  We abandon our bags of stuff by a tree and head off.  The course is marked and we do manage to find the group. Lots of strollers and little kids. I mean, kids are everywhere...in all shapes and sizes.  We can catch them. We pass several sets of strollers and are feeling pretty good about the walk. (I know, a shallow victory.) Even starting late, we won't be last, and that is a good thing. 

This 5K benefited Running for Home, a group that provides financial grants to Kentucky families in the process of international adoption.  At first I thought, wow...that's a pretty specific, small group of people.  Then, after listening to their stories, I discovered the lengthy, logistical odyssey that is international adoption. After the race we got to meet the recipients of past grants as well as this years recipients. You can read more about them on their website:  http://www.runningforhome.org/

I heard stories of waiting.  Waiting to be matched with a child and waiting for travel.  Submitting original paperwork followed up by re-submitting paperwork, struggling with the visas, the travel, the adoption agencies, changes in the adoptive children's availability, more travel, paperwork, having to leave their children behind and coming back later to get them. Changes in rules and regulations that re-start the process anew.  And the waiting. The interminable waiting.   I really felt for these people who were clearly testing the limits of the patience spectrum.

We got to meet a boy, whom I will refer to as Mr. Smiles.  He was grinning from ear to ear. His family was a grant recipient in 2012 and he finally made it to his new home this past June.  (Yes, six weeks ago.)  Two years is a long time to wait for a forever family.  No wonder he is smiling.  

Did I mention there are lots of kids?  Big kids, little kids, kids in strollers and baby carriers.  Kids skipping and running, laughing and chasing each other.  This was really inspiring  to watch and take part in.  

Clearly, the waiting was worth it.

#30 Girl's Night Out 5 Miler

I have hit the 60% mark. 

#30 was a fund-raiser for Children's Hospital Medical Center. It was a 5 mile run held at the Western-Southern Tennis Center in Mason.  Not being a tennis fan myself, I had never been to the Tennis Center and now I can happily check it off my list of places I need to see.

Because this race was a 5 miler (over and above the required 3.1 miles for a 5K) I will invoke the power to use the extra 1.9 miles in any way I see fit.  Add that to the .9 miles over the limit from the Hyde Park Blast (#28) and I have 2.8 miles to squander.  Oh the feeling of power.

Now it's been over 2 weeks since my last walk.  I usually walk during the week, but haven't for one reason or another. So five miles was a little more than I bargained for.  And it was warm.  Can't really say hot, as it hasn't truly been hot this July.  And because it was a "girls only" event, all the volunteers working the event were men...dressed in tuxedo t-shirts.  The parking lot guys, the cheering-on-the-sidelines guys, the water guys at the finish, even one guy in a kilt.

Jo and I started out jogging. Trying to keep up with the pack. We alternated between jogging and walking and managed to keep a pace of under 15 minutes per mile.  It is official.  We can qualify for the Chocolate Run in Columbus.  (Oh happy day!)

We really did well.  Managed to keep pace and feel the burn.  Checked my official time a few days later and discovered that the overall winner of the event finished in just under 32 minutes. And she is my age.   Seriously?  Not a typo or some administrative error.  She is 49 and placed 1st.   I think I was 359th. 

I probably have better friends than she does.  Or have a more interesting life.  Or something.

#29 Pray-Hope-Believe Foundation 5K

Brain cancer sucks.  Let's get that out of the way first.

Pediatric brain cancer sucks more.  It just does.

The 29th 5K on my list benefited the Pray-Hope-Believe Foundation which was started by the family of Tony Merk. Tony was a 6 year boy who died on July 4, 2011 after battling brain cancer for 3 years.  In his memory, the Merk family and other families with similar experiences, have created an event to celebrate the lives of those gone too soon.  I had my doubts, but it is clearly great way to work through grief.  The anniversary of his death is spent surrounded by family and friends.  And everyone is BUSY.

T-shirts abounded which grieved the loss of young children and illustrated the courage required to fight it.  My favorite is below:

 In addition to the multitude of activities for the day, they had a "Super Hero Run" and let the kids wear capes before letting them loose for a short run.

No, they didn't let me wear a cape or participate in the run as I probably would have been ejected for un-sportsman-like conduct.

I did manage to log my best time so far.  Getting better each time.  I celebrated this accomplishment by having a hamburger at 9AM.  Pretty soon you will find me on the medal stand.  Just sayin'.

#28 Hyde Park Blast

#28 was the Hyde Park Blast.  This day-long event raises money for The Cure Starts Now and is held in Hyde Park Square.  Events include a 4 mile Run/Walk, a kid's race, a block party, an elite run, and a bike race. 

First, I want to state that since the total distance for this race was 4 miles and a 5K equals only 3.1 miles, I get a credit for .9 miles which I am free to use in any way I see fit.  If we can all agree to that, then I can continue.  Okay?

Okay.

The race started earlier (at 7:30 AM) than most of the other races I have been in.   And I wanted to be back in my bed so very much.  

Most of the other 5Ks start later, allowing the serious runners with longer distances to take advantage of the cooler morning air.  As with most races, all participants got a t-shirt.  This race had pink shirts for females and blue shirts for males.  Thank God for gender identification or I would have been up a creek.  I was surrounded by incredibly fit 20-somethings with about 3% body fat.  A lot of them. They were everywhere.  So the gender ID was helpful. (If there was a "sarcasm font", I would use it here.)

The race starts just beyond the Square, winds through Hyde Park, up Erie Avenue, over to the Plaza, back through Marburg Ave, in front of the Police Station and the architecturally "weird" house, onto Observatory, finally ending in Hyde Park Square.  Lots of hills.

I must say that Jo and I made excellent time.  It only got better towards the end when, upon seeing the finish line before us, we started to run.  We passed a gaggle of 20-somethings who clearly were still recovering from the night before.  As we passed them, they snidely remarked "Bring it on!"  It took everything I had not to flip them off but I though if I even turn around slightly, I may fall.  And that would not look good and in this race, it's all about looking good.

We went back for the evening race of Elite Runners.  There were about 20 contestants entered.  It started at 8 PM and ended at 8:14.  The winner ran a 5K in 14 minutes flat.  And then kept going, chasing the pace car.  Only when the pace car pulled over did he figure it out.  

Then the bike race.  Zipping around Hyde Park Square and up to another street for a 1 mile loop on bikes for about a ba-jillion turns.  Witnessed some excellent bike crashes. There is nothing like the sound of skin on pavement to really make your evening.  

I am not an experienced bike race fan so I was asking some basic questions.  How many times will they go around? What happens if the lead racer catches the pace car?  What happens if the pace car crashes?  What if the pace car goes over the barricade?  Should we be standing this close to the barricade?  Where is the beer?  Is Graeter's open now?  Can we get ice cream?  How about waffles with chocolate and whipped cream?  

As always, it was very educational.  And that's what this journey has taught me.  At least that's what I tell myself, early in the morning, when I have to "school" a gaggle of 20-somethings.