Race Review: Run Like A Mother 5k

 May 11, 2014 was Mother's Day, and what better way to celebrate it than to push my sweet "babies" across the finish line in a 5k?

The kids and I participated in the "Run Like A Mother" race.  According to their website, there are a few races in various cities around the US.  Maybe there is one near you?

I think it is a fun race and worth making a mother's day tradition.

Not all events around the US are "stroller friendly", which is a shame, since it is a race celebrating moms and on Mother's day.  I am lucky enough that my race was considered "stroller friendly"... but let me tell you a little bit about that....

The race starts on a local high school track and exits out onto the street, but to get that street entailed pushing my behemoth stroller through a patch of grass, some uneven terrain of a pit/hole/ old mud puddle and then lower the stupid thing over a curb. (Maybe I wouldn't have been so picky about the minor obstacle course if I hadn't just ran a half marathon the day before... and pushed myself hard in that race.)

I'd also like to take this moment to brag about my BAMR (Bad Ass Mother Runner) status and explain that the combined weight of the kids in that stroller was over 65 lbs.  We also had snack cups, water bottles, diaper bag, coats for everyone and toys.  

My goal was just to finish, since I was still pretty sore.

We started in the back with the other mamas pushing strollers and wove our way in a slow trot weaving around the course and the moms of all ages walking or running with their kids of all ages.  

The course had some pretty good inclines and one really nasty hill.  I'm not just a sore, over ran mother complaining either.  :)  I heard all about that hill from some of my Moms RUN This Town running mates who also signed up for this event.  Once you get past those inclines and steep hill, the course winds back and forth on itself, giving a stroller pushing mama 13 corners to navigate in 3.1 miles.  I was grateful at mile 2.5 to pass a dear friend working at the aid station and she gave me some much needed cheers to get me through that final leg of the race.

Since me and the kiddos were out on the course, the husband was a race volunteer and handed out finisher's medals and pretty tulips to each finisher.

Having him at the finish line like this was a unique opportunity for him to greet each finisher and see a race in a new way.  he had never volunteered before.

When I got through the finish gate, he handed me my flower and medal, gave me a "good job hun, you're flying!  Go rest." and later he told me that I was the third stroller pushing mama to cross the finish line and the first double stroller!!!  (The announcer gave credit to another mama for crossing as the first double stroller, but the announcer was also so busy reading our names off the timing ship system, that he forgot to notice my HUGE double stroller when I came in 10 minutes earlier.)  ;-)   I didn't feel like I was "flying" but I was certainly feeling my right quad and IT band.

The medals are beautiful and between the two races I had the joy of running on Mother's day weekend, the 5k was my favorite.... even though the half marathon was such an awesome PR.

When I got home though, and looked at the results from the race.... the 5k was also a PR!!  I had cut about 2 minutes off my last 5k race time.  Not bad for having a bulky double stroller and being sore from 13.1 miles the day before!   

"Team Robin"

The charity for our event was "My Little Waiting Room" which is a drop-in daycare for a local hospital so that families can visit patients.  

Festivities at the event had plenty of booths to look through and try some samples... kids could get their face painted and make cheering signs.  A local physical therapist had some foam rollers out on the turf in the stadium for participants to use.

It may have been a little bit more festive to have a local band playing?  But here certainly was a fun post-race environment and a race I'd like to do over again.

I'm pretty sure that anyone who knew me one year ago would think I was crazy for wanting to wake up early and run while hauling the kids in the stroller as a way to celebrate Mother's Day.

Have you gone out for a run or did a race as a form of "celebration"?

What is that...? I think it's called.... the sun?

Well, all those April showers are bringing the May flowers in my neighborhood.  There are all sorts of beautiful colors, but I never realized just how pink my street is!  PINK everywhere!  ...Or I have pink on the brain since I am gearing up for my breast cancer charity walk.  I did my 4 miles on Sunday and was seriously in awe of how the breeze grabbed the cherry blossom pedals and made them dance in the air.  I would have imagined something silly like it was my victory lap and it was celebratory confetti, but my sore calves were killing my mood.  It did carry me home though.  I would just look for the next pink blossom and before I knew it, I was done with my 4 miles!

When I took this picture, I dropped my husband's white headphones...  It took him about an hour to help me find them.  Oops.

 These were very pretty, but full of bees!  That's okay, right?  Leave them alone and they leave you alone... or something like that.  I do know a running friend who got stung and then an infection!  Leaves me a little paranoid about them...  :)

  

This isn't a rose, but looks a lot like one!  Anyone know what it is?  It's very pretty.

This tree lost a lot of it's flowers from the rain and breeze... and let me tell you that it's huge, waxy pedals are very slick!  Don't fall when running through the flower pedals!  

Monday was a day of stretching and strength training, but I spent the evening at Portland Running Company and found my new candy store.  I love supporting local businesses and found the staff so incredibly helpful and great product selection.  I don't want to sound insincere, but I can seriously gush!  They know what they are talking about.  My helper was John, and he just ran a full marathon the day before!  Anyone who does that is freakin' amazing.  Anyone who gets off the couch and runs or walks is amazing in my eyes...  but this guy got it done in just over 2 1/2 hours.  Wow.  It took a bit of time to find the right pair for me, but I appreciate that he never lost patience and went outside with me with every pair of shoes to watch my stride when I ran.  

                                            

As you can see, my trusty worn out pair on the top have a HUGE, bulky heel.  I hated trying to run in them... so, not knowing anything about shoes or running, I flocked to the sparkly ones like a raven hoarding shiny things.  Aren't they nice for a run on a gloomy, overcast day?  They could be... depending on your pronation type.  It would seem that I over pronate, big time!  My heel rolls inward and this can cause further pain in my already iffy knees and aggravate my "runner's knee".  ...Which I happen to be in physical therapy for!

The garish rainbow shoes (that I am totally smitten with,)  have too much "flex" and it seems that I need to have that bulky heel to provide the support I need not to roll my heels.  This is made even more clear by examining my wear patterns on my shoes....  My worn out, over-loved, day-to-day shoes are worn out in the middle of the shoe while the edges still have some traction.  Exactly what is desired.  So....  after an hour and a half of running in all sorts of shoes (I was in denial about the bulky heel and hoped to avoid it...), I now introduce you to my new running shoes!  (Drum Roll please!)

Brooks Addiction 10th edition

If you haven't been fitted for a shoe with your running style evaluated, I highly recommend it.  And if you live anywhere near driving distance to the Portland Running Company,  please visit them.  They are so awesome.  And in true spirit of Portland, they have free beer and snacks after their group runs.  Check them out!