Yes, we ran the race as a family. Sort of. Nate walk/jogged holding Gavin. I ran pushing Laura. Laura chatted and kicked her feet up, after telling us for weeks how excited she was to run in the race. I'm not at all surprised she didn't actually run at all - and having her run wasn't the point. The point was we were running for sick children in the hospital. And when she kept asking when we would get to the hospital to help the sick children, I knew she wanted to help. She didn't run, but her heart was 100% in it.
As for me, I ran a 5k pushing a stroller for the very first time in 33:40! I was hoping for under 35 minutes, giving me a 5 minute grace period from my solo 5k last week. I knew pushing a stroller would be harder. And it was! What a different experience!
First, I had to remember that I usually run swinging my arms. Once I realized that the BOB I borrowed was so, so easy to push one-handed, I just switched which arm pushed and which arm swung, and that helped. But perhaps even harder was that I don't usually talk when I run... and Laura could not have been chattier! I was so exhausted just from talking to her, and leaning down to hear her over the noise of wind, other runners, some very loud cheering, and bits of traffic!
I did have to walk a tiny section - the middle portion of the very last "hill" was just too much. But when the firefighters started clapping for me, saying "Great job, mom!" I knew I had to start running again and make it to the top!
As far as racing tactics went, I had a little trouble getting started. There were a TON of walkers blocking me from running at all, and I had to get used to navigating the stroller through those crowds. I was a little irritated, as there was a start section for runners (I was in it), and a start section for walkers - people clearly just didn't care.
Aside from that, my pacing was much more even this race! I probably went out a little too fast the first half, since that last hill slowed me to a walk, but I also wasn't sprinting like a crazy person at the end, with too much left in my legs. So I'm really happy with that.
I don't have any more races on the horizon, but I'd definitely sign up for another 5k if one came my way!
