5K Race for Life

We came to Edinburgh thinking that we'd stay in shape by walking around the city: up hills, down hills, pushing a stroller, and carrying kids. And, so far, all of this walking has done it's job. While we were here, I (Cindy) got the brilliant idea to start running and to sign us up for a half marathon. Before we left, I got to work with a personal trainer who was able to give me some hints on how to run without knee pains.

Thus the training has begun! I've mostly been running in the gym where I can easily check my speed, distance, and the gradient of the incline (which is usually 0!). Cole's been running at the parks near our flat. He ran at Holyrood Park, around the big hills. After that, he said that he didn't want to run there again! It was way too hilly! 

I found a 5K race right here in Edinburgh, the Race For Life that supports Cancer Research UK. Only girls are allowed to run in the race, so Cole couldn't sign up. The race path was Holyrood Park! I was a little nervous about the hills! 

The day of the race, I walked out toward Holyrood Palace, where the race was starting. And, my eyes saw PINK! Everywhere I looked, there was pink! Pink shirts, pink tutus, pink wings, and even pink boas wrapped around dog necks! These ladies were into dressing up for this event! On a more sober note, there were lots of signs on people's backs stating why they were raising money for cancer research. The one that got me the most was a young girl, about 10 years old, with a sign on her back that said she was running for her grandpa. She even had pictures of her with him.

I didn't really talk to anyone there. I just tried to take it all in. They had the Nivea male cheerleaders there to try to get everyone excited. That seemed very British to me. And, about 15 minutes before the start, they had a warm-up and stretch. Then, the runners were told to get to the start first, followed by the walkers. And, wouldn't you know that the first 1K of the race was straight up hill! Ugh! And, I was dumb enough to actually run that part. That kind of wiped me out. I had to walk some, but I was able to run again. And, I was smart enough to walk up the next hill. There was a flat stretch for a bit and a steep down hill that I felt like I flew down! It was cold and drizzling, but the scenery was beautiful! I remember coming around one bend to see a lake with some ducks and swans swimming around. That definitely made the run seem less monotonous! At the very end, I was ready to stop running and walk the rest of the way. But, I couldn't since there were people on either side of the road cheering us on. I'm happy to say that I finished the race in just over 33 minutes! 

Cole brought the girls out to see me running. But, they got there just a little too late and weren't able to find me. We were all a little bummed about that. But, the girls had fun playing soccer (the World Cup has been really exciting for them here!) and commenting on the clothes and hair of people running. And, they all like playing with the medal I got. Claire seemed especially proud of my accomplishment. Or, maybe she just really likes playing dress-up!