Livestrong 2010 - The 5K Run

Okay, waking up Saturday AM in Austin was interesting - to say the least!  I've been having "trouble" with the time changing - my body seemingly has made the leap, like 2 weeks ago - so at home, I'd been waking up 1 hour later than I normally do, making it interesting getting to work on time! :-) So, I'd set my phone alarm, the hotel room's alarm AND almost called down for a wake-up call, but decided that might be overkill - but I definitely didn't want to oversleep on this important morning!

So, as it was I woke up at 4:30 AM, not 5:30 AM - as planned, I don't think I was excited or anything 'eh?  My niece picked me up and off we went towards downtown Austin and the 1st Street Bridge (starting line).  Okay, here I will insert that the route had been changed from Challenges past where the route had been downhill "mostly" the first 1-1/2 miles and then uphill the next 1-1/2 miles ... which had concerned me greatly, as far as running the course!  BUT miraculously this year's course was running south from the bridge and then turning back north to the bridge and I thought ... well it is flatter down that way (my first mistake in thinking) and maybe they'd changed it for all the Survivors that walk and run and the kids etc.

The Bridges at Sunrise - looking towards Congress Street Bridge

Okay, sidetracking here ... I was wrong, they'd changed the course because of the UT game - stadium is "downtown" so there would be greatly conflicting traffic.  Now back to the rendition of the story :-)

So we get parked, only about 1/4 mile from the start line - fabulous - and we walk across the bridge north and around and then back south on the bridge to get to the start line ... we got right up at the front because almost everyone was elsewhere!  This was great because as it was the "boys" were running (well Jani didn't run) and we were right there when they showed up .... it was a theme of the weekend, right place - right time!  Never-ever in my wildest dreams did I think this would happen ..... Popo!

He is ever so sweet as he appears AND funny ... that one is just a bit later.  So, the boys came out, had photo op with some "high money raisers" and then they were each given stacks of RadioShack caps and Livestrong caps and they went out to the Pedicabs and visited with those folks and handed the caps out.

Then came and got back to line up to run - with caps still in their hands, so they were all sort of looking like "now what do we do?"  So since I was standing there, I held out my hand and said (smilingly) "please"?  Never hurts to ask -- I'm "modeling" the one Popo gave me ... after the run -- I'm so "loverly" yes?!  Then Popo took all the remaining caps and starting tossing them in the air and backwards (the "boy" must be good with a frisbee!)  It was funny because one would come down and the person that caught it was like:  Where the heck did this come from?!

So, speaking of dear sweet Popo -- the pedicabs began and then they started the countdown for the runners and Popo took off the start line - BAM on like count 8, looking back and grinning the entire way down the hill :-) then turned around and came up in time for 1 "bang" ... we ran with the "boys" for about 100 feet and then they left us in the dust ... who knew cyclists could run so fast!

So, down the hill we went and around the first corner and I heard "Aunt Char" and I realized I'd let my adrenaline get me ... and slowed down -- almost popped myself in the first 500 yards .. no not excited at all!  It was a good thing, I slowed because very shortly we turned right on Congress street AND I saw nothing but UPHILL - noooooooooo !!!!!!! 

Alp D'Congress (help me, help me)

Soooo up we went and I did a combo of running, jogging and speed walking - my dear sweet niece, ran the entire way "UP" ... FINALLY we turned right, which meant we'd reached the halfway point and there was the water station .. YUM, was really dry by this point .. then we turned right again and yes, what goes up, must come down ... and the next day, I realized it was the down that got me more than the up (when I went down some steps!)

I was going pretty good and the excitement started building again ... because we could start hearing the announcer and the excitement at the finish line ... we started seeing more and more volunteers along the side (and other runners that had finished) cheering us to keep on going ... just a bit further -- too funny, we were passed at the same time by a Mom/Son combo .. one on left and one on right and then both "sets" stopped and walked and both Moms were having the "okay, we are going to start running again and when we do, we are not going to stop because it is the finish line" talk ... they started back up a minute or so later and we never saw them again ... so I suppose the sons made it all the way to the finish running! :-)

I realized then those 100 yards down, were 100 yards UP to finish, my niece asked me "How's my hair look." :-) ... punk :-) for our photos at the finish ... she, of course, looked beautiful ... me on the other hand -- well, I looked like I always do :-) ... with about 100 feet to go, I really didn't think I was going to make it to the finish running but she grabbed my hand and we held them up in the air as we ran together those last few feet ... I tear up thinking about it right now ... the emotion of the entire Challenge (and day) is always waiting at the finish line, when you see the Survivor's lane AND on this day at the time we crossed the line in our lane ... I could see Doug U. cheering on everyone and handing out yellow roses to the Survivors!

My run was all about support and memory of family and friends AND my simply "surviving" the uphill portions and I fought on because of all the people ... that, yes, were passing me WITH yellow "Survivor" tags on ... the children, the young adults, the not so young adults ... cancer knows no boundaries, it is a hateful disease and for them to be running (rather well) after surviving their fight with cancer ... was most inspiring, as were the ones in pedicabs that were unable to run -- LIVESTRONG ALL!

LIVESTRONG MY BUDDIES!