Stop Childhood Pain 5K or AMPS 5k (20:26)

Last week Liz (link to her recap here) messaged me to ask if I wanted to run a 5k with her. Of course I said yes. Had I not, you wouldn’t be reading this right now! Also, I wouldn’t have made that lame joke….

The idea of racing with Liz excited me so Saturday morning I pried myself out of bed (not a morning person), ate some oatmeal with cinnamon, drank water (not coffee), picked up my amazing racing shoes (The Altra Ones), put on my teal sparkly soul, and drove to the race. Obviously I had slept in my race outfit to save time.

The race we chose was called the Stop Childhood Pain 5K. The race raises money to help children with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS). I think this is a GREAT cause so I was happy to be a part of this race.

The shirts were beautiful. It takes a lot for me to LOVE a shirt, but I love this shirt! The purple shirt below is the shirt I am in love with. I love the color, I love how soft it is, and I love that it fits like a shirt and not a dress! *spoiler alert: I won a trophy*

While I was waiting for Liz I jogged around and noticed how many people were working out at Cooper River Park. There was a man jumping rope to Michael Jackson songs for nearly an hour, women doing yoga, and people running and walking around the track and river. When Liz got there we warmed up and headed over to the start. I regret not racing in a sports bra. It was too humid to wear a jersey but I did it anyway.

Within the first 400 meters Liz and I had separated ourselves from the rest of the race. We discussed that this was a possibility before the race started, but you never actually know how a race will go until you are running it. The first mile was way too fast and miles two and three were way too slow. I felt sluggish. When I ran the night before it felt like my feet were bolted to the road. Unfortunately, I felt the same way during the race. Liz whizzed by me (my poetic side is coming out) during the second mile. It seemed like the race was dragging on because my feet felt like they were bolted to the course. I hate when that happens….runs and races seem to take twice as long.

I felt a burst of energy during the last mile but it only lasted for about 400 meters. As we neared the end I was close enough behind that I could cheer Liz on as she broke the tape! She ran 20:20 and I ran 20:26. We were the 1st and 2nd overall finishers!!!! No men finished ahead of us! I have to point this out because it is rare that such a thing occurs. I am proud of Liz for winning. She has been running a lot and racing very well. Her hard work is paying off.

I was happy with my time. It is faster than the last 5K I ran and it was much hotter at this race. More importantly, I am happy to see any kind of improvement and I am happy that I got to spend the morning with Liz.

After the race we took a photo with the 3rd place woman! She was a lot of fun! I am not sure why I always seem to close my eyes in photos but it gives everyone else something to laugh at….and that is fine by me.

Would I do this race again? YES!!! It was well organized, for a great cause, and I have a new favorite shirt. The purple trophies were cool too!