Bunny Hop 5K Race Recap!

I have been having some blogger issues with the laptop. To be honest, I am not even sure how I fixed it, except for turning the "compatibility view" on and off was the most recent thing I tried that allowed me to hit the "publish post" button and have it do something.

This past weekend was the start of the move to Louisville. We stopped in Westerville, OH to spend Easter with my parents. Ryan's parents actually joined us after the race too.

We got into Westerville on my birthday, just in time for some dinner at Cap City Diner. They have the best chocolate cake, which was free for the birthday girl! Whoo Hoo! On Friday, I had some Chipotle for lunch and then pizza for dinner. Not exactly the best pre-race foods, but whatever, it was a "fun run". I was more interested in eating food that I can get everywhere, like Donatos Pizza. So Good! Ryan, Dad, and I picked my packet and the kids from the Westerville Community Center. My dad wanted us to check out the place. I must say, the pool scared me. You had to swim across the diving well. SO SCARY FOR ME (or am I just crazy???- Ryan thought I was). I was glad I wasn't swimming and it made me have some new criteria for finding a gym in Louisville. The packets were nice. I got a technical shirt and the kids got cotton tees. We all each got bunny ears, a free loaf of Great Harvest Bread, AND a Cheryl's cookie. Have I mentioned my sugar cookie addiction? I think it started with these cookies, made in Westerville. I used to buy them from the school cafeteria all the time in high school and it killed my lunch budget. They also came in a reusable fabric bag with logo. It was the first year for the race, so I was really impressed with all the swag.

The plan for Saturday morning was uncertain when we went to bed on Friday. Ryan needed to ride, but the weather didn't look good. The 5K was also a lot earlier than the kids race, so I wasn't sure if we were going to ride together or not. As it turned out, the kids woke up right in the nick of time to leave. We needed 2 cars since Big Daddy Diesel sent info to me for a 50 mile ride for Ryan to do, and Ryan would be leaving shortly after the race ended to make it to the ride on time. We needed to stick around because their was an Easter Egg Hunt after the kids race. It was really a great family event.

I had planned to run in my bunny ears, but it was just too windy to keep them on. It was a small group, and I lined up at the start. I learned that the course was a bit short today due to flooding on the course. I was in second place for about the 1st mile, and then passed the first place woman as we hit the wind. My big brick in the wind and cold prepared me well for this run, as it was really windy off and on since the course was sort of an out and back, with a loop around this pond at the end. I can't really count it as a PR, since the course was announced that it was short. We ran through some big puddles as it was, I hate to see what it was supposed to be like. I finished with a time of 21:10 for 2.99 miles according to my Garmin. It wasn't as fast as I have done in the past, but with the wind and the puddles, I have to be happy. It was also good enough to win, and I ran as fast as I had to. I was only 9 seconds ahead of the second place female. I think my prize is just a certificate. I need to have my mom pick it up for me. They also had more Cheryl's cookies on a table for finishers. YUM!

This was my first "official" overal female win, so I was very excited. I received the award at the Salem Rocks 5K in 2008 where I was technically 2nd, but the winner was the race director's daughter, so she did not need the prize- a free race entry into another one of his races.

After I finished up, we had the kids race. Soren was done at this point and just wanted a hug. I think he was tired of being outside, and had no interest in running. Keira was pretty excited about it. She wanted to run in her ears too, but they wouldn't stay on her head either. I ended up carrying Soren while holding Keira's hand for the race. It was fun, and each child got a Cheryl's cookie as a prize. They ate theirs right away.

Also, with all the children's craziness, I had the priveledge to meet BDD! The race was only a few minutes from his home, so he stopped by before the egg hunt. We joked about all the waiting around for a minutes worth of egg hunt. My race was at 8 and I was done by 8:22. The kids race was at 9 and done by probably 9:05 (they had multiple waves and lots of photos before each), and the toddler egg hunt for Soren didn't start until 10, and Keira's until 10:30. We hadn't had the best luck with egg hunts in the past, but my kids got it this year, and with the wet weather, I think it helped up the egg to child ratio. There were a zillion eggs, and it is crazy how fast these hunts. Soren managed to fill his entire egg basket and I stopped him. The hunt finished up a few seconds later. I looked at my watch and it read 10:01:51. Less than 2 minutes! Keira's hunt was on a bigger field and less dense, but it still was finished in about the same time. She finished up with a packed basket too. All in all, it was a great day.