a fun/not so fun 5k

yesterday, i walked the step up for stephanie 5k with a team of 8 people. M ran and took 5th place and the rest of our team were colleagues and/or kids who wanted to share the experience. overall it was really fun (with some rough patches).

our team

V convinced me that she wanted to run the whole way. wanting to encourage her excitement and in the spirit of positive thinking, i agreed. she totally had a ball! except she totally pooped out less than a mile into the walk. (at this point, i should note that this is the first 5k that i've ever ever run. ever. primarily to keep up with my child and not lose her in the crowd of thousands.)

when V expressed her absolute need to ride in the stroller, i stepped off to the side fulling intending to pull N into the carrier, strap her onto my back and keep going.

nope.

i ended up with two complete strangers helping me and my co-workers realizing i had stepped off coming back to help. i needed it. we made it about another mile before N's crying made me feel so bad for the other racers that i stopped again to try to put her in the carrier in front of me.

worse.

now she cried, no wailed, like i was pinching her. for the record, i was not. "walk! walk, mommy!"

at this point, one co-worker is pushing another co-worker's stroller, who is is pushing V in our stroller and i am walking a two year old in a 5k race. i am embarrassed at the poor form. at this point, M finds us, relieves us of N and we finish the last mile and a half very pleasantly ultimately finishing in an hour. which, frankly with all the stopping, starting, running, chasing and tears seems like quite a victory.

N rounded out the morning with a visit to a giant cow. sometimes, my life seems a little surreal.