Torchlight 5K

Post Race Team Sock Monkey

Quick recap for the Torchlight 5k that happened on Wednesday night. This was a Team Sock Monkey event and we had a really good turnout of people. (This simply means that a bunch of us signed up and carpooled so we could all be together) The really cool thing about this run is that it's down Hennepin Avenue in the heart of Minneapolis and it precedes the Torchlight Parade. Every year I think this race grows in popularity and is sponsored by Lifetime Fitness so there was a good turnout. Last year due to record highs the race was cancelled and rescheduled. This year it was hot but not hot enough to call off the race. I was super excited about this race because I was running it with my mother, sister and cousin which always rocks. I was even more pumped because two new Team Sock Monkey runners joined us and they crushed it! My friend Amy F. decided at the last minute to join us and Nikki was running her first 5k! Of course when we finally got to the start line we met our other awesome friends  Emily, Amy O. and Talise and they had brought extra friends. Talise had a friend running her first 5k and Amy  had a friend running her first 5k. Can I just say how freaking cool that is. I love it when people catch the running bug and spread it around!

My sister Mary, my mom Lynnrae and ME!

It was hot and muggy and so many people that I don't think we crossed the official start for like 5 minutes. I plan on writing a separate post about my recent struggles with exercise induced asthma so I will just say that this was my first race with my inhaler and my second run with it ever. I was amazed at how much easier it was to run and breathe! I kept waiting for that struggling feeling that tired feeling and it didn't come. I was shooting at beating 30 minutes but that didn't happen. I had a great time I raced along with Amy F. and Nikki.  It was such a big crowded race that sometimes that slowed us down but it also feels awesome to be weaving in and out of people as you pass them. Towards the end I really wanted to kick it in but the street narrowed and it was hard to get past anyone. Going across the stone arch bridge it was congested! Never the less I finished at 31:43 and was pretty happy with that since I didn't feel like I was dead so I know I can beat that 30 minutes.

My cousin Sonita and I parking lot pre-race

Amy F and a little blurry me

 My biggest problem with the race was the management of the finish line. We crossed the line and almost came to a dead stop immediately and we were stuck in this hot crowd of people as we slowly shuffled towards the water and the food. Getting out of the crowd was impossible sincet they had barriers up. I was so hot at that point it was just miserable. Once we regrouped it felt awesome and we snapped the above picture. This year the t-shirt rocked and once you got to the food and water there was plenty including my favorite peanut nut rolls. It was an awesome night, thanks and congratulations to all our Team Sock Monkey
runners.

It was Nikki's first race

Amy O and I 

How I got here...

How I got here......Once upon a time I was a dancer. A  flowy pants, barefoot, martha graham loving modern dancer. I hated running! In fact I remember telling my husband after he took me on my first run that I would never do that again. Than a few things happened, my husband took a  stressful travel heavy job and I became a mom. The transition into stay at home mom wasn't  hard and I loved my job as a mom. (It probably helps that my kids are ridiculously cute and I am not biased my babies are so stinking cute) I still taught and I dreamt about starting to dip my toes into the things I use to do. There is something in people I believe  that needs to label as part of their identity. I am a dog person, or I am a geek kind of like that. A large part of my identity was wrapped up in being a dancer. There was a very visceral mind body connection that was part of my everyday life and that started to slip away. Motherhood does that because it's all consuming and it's very much like when you first fall in love since really that is what your doing is falling in love with this little angel that is a part of you. I fulling thought that I would get that part of my life back that physical part of a fit body and a love of dance. Than the thing that I think athletes dread the most happened, I got injured. My injury went fully undiagnosed for at least 6 mo nths and I got to the point of chronic pain. I felt like I had lost myself. Then something amazing happened, Dr. Sue Brown a DPT saved me. After many many months of physical therapy I started to move. The doctor told me that dancing the way I had before was out of the question but I needed some part of my physical identity back. One night in june I put on sneakers and some work out clothes and I told my husband I was going out for a run. I think the shock kept him from questioning me further. I wasn't gone long but I loved the feeling of freedom, and empowerment as my body sweated and my heart beat fast. I ran mostly at night and on weekends adding a block every night to lengthen my route. I even ran a 5k that fall and I felt like I became reborn. Life of course didn't let me just coast a year after my 5k I gave birth to twins and my running took a backseat to just the basics of survival with 4 kids 5 and under. Add a move and my oldest starting school and I was overwhelmed and then one day I knew it was time. I ran my first 5k and I was hooked again. Over the last 2 years I have committed myself to really making running part of my life. Running gives me a goal to shoot for, it relieves stress, and it daily teaches me about life.