I did it!

So Saturday afternoon, it dawned on me that I would have to wake up around 4am in order to get to the race in time to start my leg of the relay....panic set in as I searched for different ways to get downtown without having to wake up at the crack of dawn. Eventually Tim volunteered that if I drove myself down there, he would get up early and get the girls ready in the morning and meet me at the finish of my leg and drive me back to my car. Yes! Now I get to sleep in until 5! I put Annie to bed and told her I had to get some things together for my race. She told me that I would run fast, and she wanted me to win so that I would get the Golden Trophy! I told her, yes, I probably would win. So, at 4:30 the stupid loud mouth birds start chirping away, and of course I'm up and can't get back to sleep. Anyways, long story short..I wake up, get dressed, quick breakfast, drive downtown and park a couple blocks from the starting point, walk to start, wonder what I'm supposed to do, decide to stretch a bit, wait around, stretch some more, look around for people I know, start getting nervous, how does this relay transition work? There are about 100 standing around in random stretching poses, and then finally the first runner arrives! Everyone rushes up to the fence, numbers are being called out, it's all very exciting, maybe I should stretch a bit more....I have to go potty! Getting nervous now, and I can't hear any of the numbers they are calling...finally I see my girl, she hands off the timer do-dad and I'm off! Like the wind! For a block I'm running with the pack, I'm excited! This is fun! Then one more block further and I'm falling behind but I seem to be keeping up with some lady in blue who looks like she should be a really fast runner...I'm confused as to why she is running so slow, then she starts walking...could it be true? I'm finally passing someone! Sweet, a bridge expansion joint. 2 minutes later, lady in blue is back and she passes me...darn! Ok still chugging along, why did I agree to do this? I'm never doing this again. Hey, I'm about to pass lady in blue, I rock! Another bridge expansion joint...Running, running...oh shoot, here comes a hill, oh shoot, lady in blue is back, what the? Made it up the hill and stomp on the mile marker, almost done(not). Random homeless guy watching me run...this part of Colfax is pretty run down and depressing...what am I doing out here, and why did Tim tell me to wear pants? Daydreaming about the last 5k I did in the 8th grade, wonder ehat my time was back then...I'm hot...need a drink, oh that's convenient, here's the Gatorade stand. Might as well walk so I don't drip Gatorade down my long sleeve shirt (thanks Tim). Ok, back to running, lady in blue is back...this is getting irritating! I gotta be half way there by now, right? Oh God, Brother's BBQ...the smell makes me feel kinda nauseous...run! Yes, passed Lady in Blue...oh no, there she goes again...oh wait she 's walking again? Cell phone's ringing, Tim must be here somewhere. Crossing guard tries to encourage lady in blue...she says she already finished her 10k leg and is going to the end of 5k leg to meet friends...now it's all clear, she is just there to aggravate me...she takes off even faster...Hey, I see the girls and Tim! Run faster legs (we can't, we're short and out of shape) oh, shut up! Annie is cheering for me, I'm encouraged! Olivia sees me, she wants to be out of the stroller and in my arms, poor baby...Tim decides to make me feel even slower by walking the stroller next to me... a marathoner (I assume he is the winner) runs the other way, crap! He ran 17 miles in the time it took our team to run 8? Thanks buddy...I see the finish! Running, running, running...hold Olivia's hand so she will stop crying...running...running...I'm done! And that is pretty much how it went. Annie asked me where my trophy was...I told her they were going to mail it to me and it would arrive in 6-8 weeks...and it better!

Have I posted this already?

Well, if I have posted this already, I can't remember, but I was just trying to get my photos organized and Olivia looks so darn cute that I had to put it on here. This is her "official" 1 year old portrait. We took it on the back patio and I had to practically lock Annie in the house just so she would stop trying to take the picture herself. You know she got a camera for Christmas, but apparently it isn't good enough for her, she really prefers mine, as do I, so it gets kinda tense between the two of us sometimes. Anyways, back to Olivia looking cute...awe Bav!

In other news, I just finished my final run before the big race on Sunday. I'm feeling pretty good about my abilities...much better than my first run when I barely made it around the block. I have to say that I could be getting more support from my "coaches" (Tim and the girls) and my running buddy Bailey also. He almost made me fall hard today. He got distracted by a random gutter tennis ball and stopped right in front of me. Disaster averted! As far as Tim goes - I once returned from a run that I thought was pretty challenging. He asked me where I went and after I described it he was all, "Oh great job! That's pretty good!". Then a few minutes later he asks, "now which block were you talking about?" When I told him and he realized that I hadn't run as far as he originally thought, he says "Oh, well I guess that is okay too". Tim! You should have kept that to yourself! And the girls...girls, girls, girls...or should I say Annie. I have taken the girls out running with me twice. And it is hard work to run with a stroller! So the first time I took them, I got not even 5 minutes away from the house and the following conversation starts:
Annie: Momma, can we start running now?
Me: (out of breath) I am running, I don't run as fast as Dada.
Annie: But I want to run.
Me: I am running! See, this is me running....and now I going to start walking so you can tell the difference.
Me to myself: (Oh, there isn't much difference between me running and me walking.)
So we start running again...and 5 minutes later...
Annie: Momma, can we start running now?
Me: &*(*8!@

So yes, I am a slooooooooow runner and Annie apparently feels the need to rub it in. In fact the second time I took the girls out we had just about the same conversation over again. But whatever Annie, I could totally beat you in any race... it's on! (like donkey kong)