We Stormed the Bastille!

Yesterday, Fuzzy and I were signed up to run the Bastille Day 5K. I had set a goal for myself to run the whole thing without walking, and I was excited and ready to do so. However, with all these crazy-ass out-of-nowhere storms we've been having, I was afraid that it wasn't going to happen.

I got home from work, and it started raining in our neighborhood. First a drizzle, then a downpour. I called Fuzzy at work to get his advice on what we should do. He said he would bike down there a little early, check out the scene and call me. I waited, doing some warmups and finding ways to pass the time. When he called at about 6:45 he said the weather looked ok, and asked if "I would like to join him on an adventure." I was ready! The race started at 7:30, so I gathered all my things, grabbed my bike and headed out at about 7:00.

I am still basically a beginner at bike commuting, but I am definitely getting better and more confident. I was concerned, though, that I wasn't going to make it down to the Nature Museum in time for the start, but I kept trucking. Then I was concerned that I was going to use up all my energy on the 5 mile commute down there and not be able to run the whole thing, but I was DETERMINED.

I showed up at the site and found Fuzzy at about 7:20-7:25ish. We had just enough time to lock up our bikes and gear check before they sounded the alarm to start. We just jumped right on in there! I was tired and thirsty, but I stayed focused even when it started sprinkling on us a bit. It was certainly hard, but we just kept going and going. Once we got to mile 2, I was wasn't about to give up--I was going to make it to 3.1 dammit.

AND WE DID! I RAN THE WHOLE THING!

Right when we crossed the finish line, it really started to rain. I grabbed Fuzzy, and we embraced and held each other in the rain. It was beautiful. It was amazing. It was especially cool cause there was no one there cheering us on, no one there to take photos. It really felt that we were doing it for ourselves; it didn't matter that no one else cared how we did--we cared.

Here are the official results:
512,ERICA,GERDES,1799,F3034,F,CHICAGO,36:49,11:53
513,FUZZY,GERDES,1798,M4044,M,CHICAGO,36:49,11:53

I think the bike ride down was a great warmup--my joints were loose and I was already tired, so I didn't have a crash halfway through. My stamina is so much better than ever before. After the race, we had some water and snacks, grabbed our gear, and biked the 5 miles back! Badass! Today, my knees are kinda jacked, but that is ok.

I also learned what my biggest motivator is when I am exercising--beer. HA! As we were running, I kept saying to Fuzzy "Man, I want a beer." and "Man, I can't wait till we can have beer." I think the Beachathon ruined me by having free good beer after the race. Fuzzy said most time a race has beer it is pretty crappy. We celebrated last night by ordering pizza and, you know it, drinking beer.

I am really proud of myself. I NEVER in my whole life thought that I would be a runner, enjoy running, or even be able to do it. And last night, by gum, I did.