A Good July Run

This past weekend, I did something I've never done before.  I enjoyed every minute of a 5k race.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love running.  But I'm always very goal-oriented when I race.  But here lately, when the temperature has been so high and I've had some extra obligations at home, I've had some difficulty motivating myself to run.  I still go out several times a week, but that's only because I have trouble letting go of the chocolate cravings.  In this case, my dad (who ran his first 5k in June) asked me if I wanted to run a 5k with him near their home.  It was a fundraiser for a young girl with cancer.

I'm always up for a race.

Things were not looking good for me going into this one.  The past week, my healthy eating habits were shot, the heat was unbearable, and I was tired.  The night before the race I was able to get less than four hours of sleep.  This wouldn't be a record breaker.

From the start, this 5k was different.  It was a small race, probably around 100 runners.  There were no timing chips, no race number bibs, no age categories for prizes.  This was strictly a fundraiser.  The 9 year-old girl who was fighting cancer stood out there to tell all the runners good luck and started us off.  I wonder what was going through her mind knowing everyone there was running for her.  There were some runners there she knew, but I'm sure many she didn't, all to help with her treatment.  I started the race with my dad, and after I made the loop to turn around, we passed each other.  We were running for the same reason.

At the finish, the young girl who was fighting for her life, high-fived every sweaty palm that came through.
   
When have you had a time when you went into something exhausted and came out of it energized?