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| The BomfDC crew — post race! |
Yesterday I ran my first race with the Back On My Feet crew and it was awesome! I’ve been running with the group since October on regular mornings but races are an entirely different situation — and one that I really like!
We met up at CSS at 7:30am to load up the cars and head down to Pentagon City for a very frosty Love the Run You’re With 5k. I’m going to venture to say that with the wind chill it was about 0 degrees, no joke.
I had four layers on top and initially though that might be too much. Nope! My fingers and toes quickly turned into bloodless blocks of ice while we waited for the starting time. I did a lot of hopping around and making weird “I’m cold” noises, all while keeping a smile on my face 🙂
When the race finally started at 9am, I had never been so excited to start running only for the sheer factor of warming up! I was running with Gary for the race — his very first 5k or race ever! That makes it extra fun if you ask me.
Gary’s goal was to run without walking and ooh boy, we did it! Though he wanted to stop once, we kept on and made it across the finish line in about 39 minutes. It felt awesome to be there with someone to run their first race. He was pretty happy about it too 🙂
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| Gary & I just before crossing the starting line! |
Afterward, we gathered back up with our BOMF peeps at Champs where the after party was happening. After some congratulatory high fives, hugs and race recaps, most of us were ready to head home for a hot shower, drink or blanket!
Herman and Larry also ran their first races and before I drove them back to CSS, I asked them to talk with me just a little about how it went:
All in all, the day went great despite the cold. I’m really excited to start becoming more involved with BOMF on the weekends and aside from just morning runs. The truth is, the more you get to know people, the more you want to be there with them to accomplish their goals.
I’ve always struggled with volunteering because I feel out of place, or don’t know what to do to be really helpful. With BOMF, that’s not the case — and to be honest, it doesn’t feel like “volunteering.” It feels like being a part of changing lives and honestly, just giving back positive energy to the world through running, relationships, goals and love.
