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| This day actually started pretty
crummy for both of us. We were stuck on the I-10 East from Baton Rouge. Traffic was jammed and by the time we got through, we had 15 minutes before the race. I like to get to a race at least an hour in advance, and being late ties my stomach up in a thousand knots. Anyway, regardless, my strategy was the same, beat Charles and break his winning streak!! As the runners lined up at the start, Charles told me how he didn't feel real well, he was just there for the beer. I was starting to feel a little optimistic, until that gun went off. This was the biggest crowd ever for this race (2200 participants), and attempting to find a hole to run through was a challenge. At mile 1, who goes blazing by me? My beloved husband!! I thought I was doing pretty decent (6:55), until he flys by. Then, all my allergy/breathing problems kicked up, and I struggled the rest of the race. I ended up barely breaking 24 minutes, and Charles beat me by about 1 minute. Now, I was pretty much feeling sorry for myself and discouraged. I was 11th woman overall, and I swear the 10 in front of me were my age. Charles comes over, puts his arm around me and gently guides me to the beer line. To his credit, he did manage to show some concern as he handed me a beer. (He needed an extra pair of hands, he already had two). I should have known that the beer line would be his motivation. The after race party is always the best. Nestor, Folgers coffee is a big sponsor. Not only did they have various flavors of coffee brewed, they also gave away tons of the stuff. We brought you a pack of Folgers Columbian. There were assorted free food booths of every type of goody imaginable, and free massages. A band was playing and people were dancing and having a wonderful time. This race benefits the pediatric unit at Ochsners and the children that are on ECMO machines. To explain briefly, these machines perform the function of the heart and lungs of very ill children. The most exciting event of the evening was when these little children who had come off these machines, ran about 20 feet. They were all excited and all rec'd a medal. This is what matters. Shame on me!! You know what? The next time I whine, I will think of these kids, who are thrilled that they can run 20 feet. Sometimes, I need a little kick to put things into perspective. All in all, a great race!! It is our favorite and maybe we can convince some of you to either do both the Azalea and the Ochner's (it is in the evening), or maybe we will get lucky and it will be on different days. Take care, and Run on, © Audrey |
