Gym Jam

Race day! April, my daughter, said we had to be downtown at 5:45 am. It was still very dark out and a little chilly. We register at the Blue Cross sign up table, hang around to have the company group picture made, and then head on downtown to see the booths and get in line for the race.

We decided to do the 2k race instead of the 5k. As we walk downtown their are so many people in wild costumes. There was a pink harley that I wanted to do a photo opp with but April rolled her eyes! Once we got down there, we stopped at a research booth and "spit for a cure." We literally spit in test tubes and filled out lifestyle paperwork. This was for a blind study to see if we are prexisting for breast cancer. We thought we would get the results. But no. The research is just for testing and large data purposes.

The crowd begins to pick up, making it more difficult to make our way to the "freebies" tents where they give away alot of the good stuff. Unfortunately, when 45,000 people are congregating, it is darn near impossible to get near anything. We managed to get a pink key chain. I hear snippets of other people's conversations as we walk around. Some are talking about their chemo, the pills they take, and remission. I admire them tremendously for being there and doing this.

April and I had on the Blue Cross tee shirt they provided for the company team. I have to tell you they were pretty boring. They were blue with a blue ribbon theme i.e. blue ribbon cure for breast cancer. However, our shirts were quite tame compared to others I saw. Let me see, we saw shirts that said everything from "save the ta-tas to little bitty titties are the best." One group was sponsored by Riggs Catepillar. Their shirts had a pink dozer on them that said "making tracks for the cure." I thought that was pretty cool. They also had pink license plates that said Cat with the dozer. Maybe next year I can be on the tee shirt committee. The Gym Virgin would like to see a blue tie dye shirt with a funky 70's theme of Peace, Love, and the Cure!. I am seeing a big pink Peace sign. We could totally rock that out.

It was close to race time, so we went back to the starting point for the 2k. They let the serious runners go first, then the 5k, then the 2k. We probably waited 45 minutes of just starting and stopping before we actually started moving. My legs begin to cramp.

As we head toward the Broadway Street Bridge, I am doing ok until we got to the middle of the bridge. Some people feel the need to bring their dogs on leashes to the race. One such yippy dog came up from behind me and tangled around my feet. I have balance issues anyway, and I thought I was going to fall. After the dog left I kept swaying back and forth. That is when April and I realized the bridge is swaying. Swaying to such a degree, I thought I was going to throw up. We then went sideways, in a crowd that is going forward, and finally got to the railing of the bridge. I held on for dear life, as the swaying increased with the relentless pounding of 45,000 pairs of feet. I couldn't decide what was worse, the swaying, or looking over the rail at the swirling water.

We decided to de-bridge. It takes alot of fortitude, my friends, to walk against the grain of 45,000 moving people, but we did it. We then walked our 2k around the downtown area in Little Rock. Along the way, we came across fireman starting to take down the American flag. I thought we were the only gals watching them until I realized there was a whole row of women sitting on the ground staring up at the fireman. Fireman, which by the way, were wearing their gear AND pink tee shirts and pink caps. I thought their picture was blog worthy!

After I finally got home I told the husband that as it turns out I am not a race athlete. He smiles and says that is ok, because he didn't marry an athlete, he married a pretty cheerleader. And that my friends, is why after 35 years he is still the one I come home to.

P.S. Will I support the Komen race next year?


ABSOLUTELY!


Will I go down there and walk?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!... A smaller race ... yes...but 45,000 people...there ain't no way!

Posted by Gym Virgin at 11:03 PM