Cookies at the Finish Line

Not so excited for the race, or to be awake and have Jon with a camera so early.

So, this past weekend I ran, along with some other lovely ladies from the 2FNs team, in the 34th annual Freihofer'sRun for Women in Albany, NY. I have to be honest and admit that I wasn't really looking forward to it. Having dropped the ball (yet again) on the whole training-thing, I wasn't excited to run a race I wasn't prepared for. Wallowing in my doubts, I realized (with unfailing encouragement from my family) that this race was special, and there was no way I wasn't going to be a part of it. My mom had been training to run this 5k for the past twelve weeks. She had dedicated so much time and focus on the race, and I had promised I would do it with her. As it was her first race, I couldn't just abandon her after she had worked so hard! So I decided I was going to run the race, not for myself, but for my mom.

Lining up under the bridge of the New York State Museum before the race started were close to 5,000 women. The first stretch of the course goes up a long, gradual hill. When the race started, from where we were lined up we began to see a wave of colorful t-shirts climbing the hill--it was exciting. The course winded through Washington Park and then back downtown. It was a pretty course, made more beautiful by the humidity, overcast, and the imminent threat of the mist turning into a downpour at any moment.

My original intention of running in support of my mom was immediately nullified when realized that she is in impossibly better shape than I am.

Looking like a real runner!

Motivation to get in shape comes from so many different places. Most people feel a general desire to better themselves, some do it for improvement in impressions from others, and I am now doing it out of sheer humiliation. My mom has worked so hard, and I couldn't be more proud of her. However, the fact still stands that my mom, a woman that had four children and is 35-years older than I am, can out-run me easily and will laugh about it while kicking my butt. Having to sprint to keep up with my mom (after my stretches of walking), I ended up finishing the 5k with a time I'm OK with--it's a few minutes faster than my B.A.A. time, so at least I'm making progress!

This weekend was a blast (although I'm hoping that doesn't show on the scale on Wednesday) and it was fun for a family get-together than was centered around physical activity. In my mom, I have seen what hard work can accomplish, and in myself, I've found how strong embarrassment can be as a motivating force.

Cheers.