Falling Leaves Road Race

I’ve discovered that when I run I am truly lost in the moment.  Last weekend I traveled to the homeland (Utica, NY) to run the Falling Leaves 5K.  I’d signed up much earlier in the year at the motivation of my cousin Dana and friend Traci.  I need to sign up for races or I’d never motivate myself to get out there and run.

It turned out to be a family thing.  Race day was cloudy with intermittent drizzle.  It was about 10 degrees, so it was cold when I arrived in downtown Utica.  I knew it would feel good once we started.  Also running that day was Dana’s husband and daughter.  Her youngest was participating in the kids’ fun run.  Before the race I looked around for my cousin Tim and his wife, and sure enough they were there too! 

But the best surprise was when my cousin Kim showed up unexpectedly.  Her husband had just had some surgery the day before and I wasn’t even sure if she had signed up.  But there she was all of a sudden, sneaking up behind us!  This was Kim’s first 5K.  She’s been the most religious exerciser out of all of us for sure.

The race started soon after she arrived and immediately we took off fast.  There were only about 800 people running, which seems like a lot, but is not really.  So it was pretty open from the start.  I ran fast my first kilometer, but reminded myself to slow up in the middle so I would have energy to go as fast as possible at the end. 

This race to me felt so spiritual.  I had a big happy smile on my face the whole time.  We ran up Genesee  Street past all these Utica landmarks.  Maybe it all felt like the ancestors were watching, I don’t know, but I felt light on my feet.  As we came up on this apartment building, a woman was out on her balcony watching.  I looked up at her and waved like I knew her and she waved back.  That’s what I mean, it felt so much like our souls had connected.  There wasn’t much of a crowd watching, there was too much drizzle.  So having any spectator felt good.

Right after seeing the woman and her beautiful soul, I thought of my cousin Dan and my eyes got all misty.  It was hard to tell that mist from the rain, but I took deep breaths and got back into the moment.

My legs felt great the whole run, only my lungs hurt some from breathing so deeply.  At the end, I ran as light and fast as I could, but it was slightly downhill on wet pavement, so I was careful too.  I finished at 31:39, which is not my personal best, but is really respectable given I don’t practice all that much.  I felt all energized after running and so I took off up the sidewalk to find Kim.  I wanted to cheer her on.  I ran with her a bit until she got near the end and then I headed inside for treats.

My reward at the end was Hemstrought’s half moon cookies!

And knowing I ran with family, and I finished well!  Lots of fun!