Running for the Boobies!!!

4:30 am is VERY early on any day, but especially on a Saturday morning. That is what time my alarm went off yesterday morning. But, not complaining....it was for a great cause. My co-workers and I went and participated in the Susan G Koman Race for the Cure. This was my first time to ever hit up this nationally known cause, and let me say....WOW! My boss and great friend, Kim, has a grandmother that is a 6 year survivor of this horrible disease. "Gram" works with us everyday at the gym. She is 93 years old....and we call her "Security." She does a great job getting everyone in line up there. :)

So 5:30am we are in the parking lot of Northpark, ready to run the race. My co-worker Caren and I opted for just the 1 mile and we WERE just going to walk. But, when we saw the distance, the cause, the people there fighting this disease, the mood, and atmosphere, we picked up the pace and ran it. But since we are cheer/dance/tumbling coaches we couldn't just run across the finish line like everyone else. That would be too simple. We did it is true fashion. We threw our bags to the side, did a handstand, and crossed that line on our hands. Out of 35,000 I can confidently say we were the only 2 that finished that way! :)

I didn't realize how many vendors would be out there (remember...my first rodeo with this.) And with vendors....there comes FREE stuff. Some of it is the boring pens, candy, key chain type stuff (which is still free so not complaining.) But, some of it was pure greatness. Example: Old Navy = free pair of pink flip flops. Wolfgang Puck = free 12 oz bottles of iced coffee (I grabbed 2.) Albertsons = free bananas, apples, coconut waters, and yogurt. McAllisters = free sweet tea...YUM!!! McDonalds = free pink backpack and free smoothies. Le Madeline = free coupon redeemable for salad or bowl of soup. Adult carnival....awesome!

But on a serious note....it was truly incredible to see all the survivors, and those running for the ones who lost their battle. TWO things really tugged at my heart that day....#1) I got emotional seeing not only the survivors, but the spouses of the survivors as well. Most of them had some sort of t-shirt that read something along the lines of "My wife doesn't fight this alone", "Best Co-Fighter", "Giving Up is NOT an Option." And #2) as we were walking back to our car, I noticed a lady walking in front of us all by herself. Her tag on the back said In Memory of my Sister Kathy....RIP: 10/9/11. I realized how recent this was and brought it to the attention to my co-workers. Kim, being the wonderful person she is, quietly broke away from us and caught up to the lady. She had no idea who she was....but Kim wrapped her arms around her. I don't know what she said to her, but I do know the lady was crying. Who knows....Kim's act of kindness that day may have helped that lady. Bless her family at this time!!!

I will definitely be back to run next year. What a fun, wonderful day!!! My goal next year is to RUN the 5k though....not the puny mile! :)