Racing for a Cure - and Perspective
There are the every day 5ks, and then there are the Susan G. Komen events. When more than 5,000 participants crowd Capital Avenue in downtown Lansing, it gets real. Yesterday my friend Erin and I decided to brave the rain and run the Race for the Cure. Downtown Lansing was dreary and wet, but the energy from the crowd was palpable and there were people dressed in pink everywhere. It's hard to be discouraged by rain when you're surrounded by that kind of positivity.
Have I had a rough few weeks with my Crohn's? Absolutely. Have I been complaining more than normal? For sure. But there's nothing like joining all of these amazing women who are breast cancer survivors to give me real perspective about what's happening in my life and with my health. These women have been through it, and yet here they are, in the rain, decked out in pink and ready to get their 5k on. It's awesome, it's inspiring, and it's a bit of perspective smacking me right in the face.
The race starts in downtown Lansing right in front of the State Capital. There were tents set up everywhere, and everything was well organized. There was also a stage for the MC (a local deejay) with lots of music and energy. Before the race, as we crammed tightly together on Capital Avenue, there were women leading the crowd in Zumba. I've never done Zumba, but nobody told me it's pretty much just like high impact aerobics in the 1980s. Fascinating.
Regardless of the weird pre-race cardio workout, it was a fun pre-race experience. We started heading south on Capital, and the course was tightly packed with runners. It took us probably about a quarter mile to get a little breathing room. It's an interesting course that takes us back and forth through various streets downtown, but it was quiet for the first few miles. I blame the rain.
After we got to around mile two the course energy picked up. There were high school cheerleaders and, my favorite, an acapella group singing. Very fun. We turned it on when we got onto Ottawa Street, and the music and energy from the finish brought us in. Our time was an awesome 27:04. I was so proud of Erin for her PR. We rocked it out!
Running for a social cause is one of the best motivators to keep running. If these amazing women can go through everything they've gone through, I can bust it out for three miles. It was a great event, and it was just the perspective I needed.
Have I had a rough few weeks with my Crohn's? Absolutely. Have I been complaining more than normal? For sure. But there's nothing like joining all of these amazing women who are breast cancer survivors to give me real perspective about what's happening in my life and with my health. These women have been through it, and yet here they are, in the rain, decked out in pink and ready to get their 5k on. It's awesome, it's inspiring, and it's a bit of perspective smacking me right in the face.
The race starts in downtown Lansing right in front of the State Capital. There were tents set up everywhere, and everything was well organized. There was also a stage for the MC (a local deejay) with lots of music and energy. Before the race, as we crammed tightly together on Capital Avenue, there were women leading the crowd in Zumba. I've never done Zumba, but nobody told me it's pretty much just like high impact aerobics in the 1980s. Fascinating.
Regardless of the weird pre-race cardio workout, it was a fun pre-race experience. We started heading south on Capital, and the course was tightly packed with runners. It took us probably about a quarter mile to get a little breathing room. It's an interesting course that takes us back and forth through various streets downtown, but it was quiet for the first few miles. I blame the rain.
After we got to around mile two the course energy picked up. There were high school cheerleaders and, my favorite, an acapella group singing. Very fun. We turned it on when we got onto Ottawa Street, and the music and energy from the finish brought us in. Our time was an awesome 27:04. I was so proud of Erin for her PR. We rocked it out!
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| After the race |
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