So I'll start with the bad and the ugly. The bad: I had to walk much more than I wanted and finished approximately 30 seconds slower than last year. The ugly: The father who passed me pushing a stroller while we were going UPHILL. The bad: The woman who outweighed me by 40 to 50 lbs but still managed to handily beat me. The ugly: the woman who was having hip problems but still did better than I did.

Now to the good.
- The race was to benefit my grandchildrens' school. At first, they weren't going to be able to come but then, plans changed, and they were there to watch me "run".
- It was a beautiful sunny day - no rain, no snow.
- It's in a small town so, even though I don't live there, I knew some of the people who are friends with my daughter and grandchildren.
- I was able to run the first 1-1/2 miles before walking, finished the race and wasn't last!!
- And, most importantly, I helped a young boy (10 or 11) who was struggling the last 8/10 of a mile. He was crying because he was hot, tired and hurting. I encouraged him to keep going, that there wasn't that much left, that he was going to earn that shirt, that many of his friends weren't doing this so he should be proud of himself when he finished. At the end, he beat me. Grandparents are suckers for children, whether they're our own or someone elses.

Mostly, it was a good time. I know that I'll never be an elite runner, but I would like to improve my time. I want to be able to run the whole thing without my brain telling me I'm too tired. Runners are a special brand of people - we help each other, encourage one another, stop and ask if we can help when someone cramps us, meet new people as we run and let little children feel good by beating us. We're out there to have a good time and try to do a PR. So, I'll be looking for more runs in the next several weeks. I know I can do this - I just have to do more hill and speed work if I want to shave off minutes.

That PR is right around the corner!!