Jamming With the Jammers: GO GIRL RUN

On May 18^th, 2013 Carol Rollins and I took a rest from tennis and traveled to Olathe, KS as we participated in the Go Girl Run. The Go Girl Run was specifically designed to celebrate women, health and fitness, and ultimately support several women-centered charities in the area. The Go Girl Run was to make a BIG difference and improve the lives of women! We believe the event truly celebrate women and their accomplishments. The Go Girl Run was being held in three different cities in three different weekends – Springfield – May 11, Kansas City – May 18, and Columbia MO – May 25. Carol ran in the 5K (3.1 miles) event with her daughter while I ran in the half-marathon (13.1 miles) with my sister and sister-in-law. I trained for it for the last six months and was hoping I could finish it within 2.5 hours or just to finish it.

It was a great day for a run, not too hot or too cold. A few more hills than I expected, since the course in Springfield had no hills at all. I tough it out and finished my race without puking everywhere. My official time for the race was 2:26:21, which is better than the time I set for my goal. I finished 19^th out of 58^th in my age division, and placed 270^th out of 577 overall. The average time was 2:32:20; I guess that’s not bad for my first half-marathon.

Carol did great in her 5K. She finished with the time of 34:06. She finished 3^rd out of 12 in her age division and 122th out of 297 overall. The average time for the 5K was 37:42, so Carol did really well.

So does this mean I will hang up my tennis racquet and start running full time? Uh, I’m not quite sure about that. I know I would like to finish the Go Girl Run series. I like to run in Springfield and then Columbia in the next year or two years, so I can say I have ran in all three cities. But for now, I can proudly put the 13.1 sticker in the back of my car.