Nine Eleven

Last night, my husband and I participated in the Arlington Police, Fire and Sheriff 9-11 Memorial 5k. I have to admit that I was not looking forward to it. It is so hard to find time to run with the baby around, and I hadn't logged many miles leading up to the date. The day came anyway, and with the baby safely tucked away with her grandparents, we set off to join the other 4998 runners/walkers/wheelchair racers. I've had some negative experiences with over-crowded 5K races that involve slow starts, bottlenecks, courses too narrow to handle the crowd, etc. I tend to get easily annoyed before the race even starts.

We showed up about 45 minutes early. The crowds were loud, large, and rowdy. The course map had an indication of being too narrow. I was already tired from being up most of the night before with a sick baby. But, I was fine. I was calm, cool and collected. I knew it was going to be a crappy run, but I knew what and who we were running for, and those people would never have a chance to do what I was about to do- crappy or not. The first two miles of the race I spent carrying my music player instead of listening. I wanted to reflect, take in the sights around me, and really think about everything. I had the pleasure of spending 1.5 miles running next to a large fire-fighter group lined up in pairs yelling out cadences. Their pace didn't seem to fast for me, and I was really enjoying it. The course took us around one of the Pentagon Parking lots, skirting an edge of the Pentagon, right past the memorial where the plane hit. Lots to think about.

After the second mile marker, I slowed it down, put on the headphones, and did my best to finish as strong as I could. I met up with the hubby and we hit the food tables. Unlimited, free pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, and beer was a great way to end the race! My time was crappy in the end, but I don't care. This race was definitely the most emotionally rewarding one I have done. Plus it was well organized, the course was wide with room for everyone, and the supporters were out strong.

I spent the majority of the day today watching the coverage of the anniversary, remembering, and counting the many blessings in my life. Hope that you did the same.