Saturday morning is was time for a good, old-fashioned 10k. I’m not accustomed to doing smaller races but this was our Back on My Feet race for the month of April so I was in. Plus, it was for the Carpenters Shelter, a good service in the Alexandria, VA community so I was all for it.
Thankfully, the rain held out and the temperature was just about perfect for a 6.2 mile run. We picked up the guys around 6:30am on Saturday morning at CSS and drove down to Alexandria for 8am start time.
The great thing about smaller races is that you don’t have to be there super early and you can just hop in the starting line just minutes before the start. Lucky for us, because by the time the group got it all together, we were literally joining the starting line group a minute before kick off!
Donald was my running partner — kind of. It was his first race ever so he was just doing the 1-mile fun run. I ran with him most of the way then caught up to the rest of the 10k, where I ran with George and Whitney.
It is always fun running with the guys on their first races because it’s such an exciting feeling. Donald is new to the program and I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him so far. He’s also new to running but he’s working hard and I’m so proud of his effort to quit smoking. I know he can do it — and running will help!
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| Kent, Larry, Donald, Elisabeth, Thomas |
Each race, we pair up non-res volunteers with res members of BOMF. It’s nice to have someone to run with and get encouragement from. At the end, we always wait in a group to see our fellow team members cross the finish line. As I’ve said a million times, that is one of the best feelings in the world and no doubt contributes to a great sense of accomplishment for the guys!
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| Whitney & I. She’s convinced me to head to Philly this fall for the marathon! |
Though it’s tough getting up early on a Saturday, I find 10ks and races are some of my favorite ways to spend a Saturday morning. After the initial whining inside my head, I’m always happy I was up early to get the day started. Then, you get home by like 10 or 11 and have the full day ahead you — your workout and fun already had!
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| Jesse & Orlando |
At these races, it’s also nice because we reunite with all the BOMF DC teams, instead of just our own little group. We stretch together and get excited about the race as a group. With so many people circled up doing the serenity prayer, it’s a lot of fun:
And the group shot:
