GOTR

Today was my second GOTR race with V, and my third 5k with her as her "running buddy".  After the first two, there was no doubt that I was going to run the third with her.

There were several differences between this race and the one we ran in December.  The first is that this one was exclusive to GOTR participants and their friends and family.  That was a nice touch.  The other was that this race, we knew, was going to have more hills, not being located downtown.  That would make it a little harder.

My family was very happy that I did this for V.  I wouldn't have it any other way at this point.  In my mind, I was doing it unless some rehearsal came up and conflicted.

The race was extremely crowded.  It's amazing how big the GOTR program is.  So many people were running the race.  A lot of people couldn't even finish a 5k.  To see so many young people doing this was incredible.

Then it began.  The beginning was rough.  The first mile was almost completely uphill.  This was not fun.  For me, or for V.  Or for everybody else who ran the race.  The second mile was almost all downhill.  This was a lot more fun.  The third and final mile was in the sun, with the heat blaring down at you.  This was exhausting, especially at the end of the race.

Overall, it was probably one of the hardest 5ks I have ever run, including when I did cross country.  And the fact that V made it through without stopping once was just impressive.  We were both satisfied with her time, even though it wasn't nearly as fast as our last finish, and not nearly as fast as we would have finished in March.  She had fun, I had fun, and I'm glad I did it.

-NM