Grand Old Day on the Go 5K Race Report - 39 Weeks Pregnant

When Abigalius and I were on our weekly run on Tuesday, I told her of my plan to run the 5K this weekend if the munchkin hadn't shown up by then. It was a pretty cheap event ($20), and pre-registration was good up until the day before the race. Looking at past results for the run/walk, I confirmed that it is a pretty low-key race - no biggie if we needed to stop and walk for a bit. I knew I could wait a couple of days to sign up, and if I lost my twenty bucks at the last minute, I'd be happy about it. If nothing else, it would give me something to look forward to this weekend. Abbe got the green light from her husband, so we both signed up. We thought it could be fun to put our due dates on our backs. Everybody asks these days anyway!

Steve and I got to the race a little early and found Abbe, Micah, and their dog Gus on our walk to the start line. We stopped at the porta potty, posed for a few pictures, and watched the kids races.

Our homemade signs to answer a couple of questions

Mamas and babies ready to run!

There were kids, dogs, strollers, and families EVERYWHERE! It was so nice to finally have a beautiful weekend after the crazy spring weather we've been having, and you could tell everyone was happy to be out.

After all of the kids came in, we lined up at the starting line and snapped this photo:

Appropriately lined up next to the kids and the strollers...

Then it was time to GO! Abbe and I have been running together for a few months now, but we've never done a race together. I told her before we started that I was still just out to have a good time. I know she's a little faster than me, and I wanted to let her know that I didn't have any expectations that we needed to stay together if she wanted to run a bit faster. We both decided to just play it by ear.

Getting started next to the mini doughnuts

Right off the bat, we were getting a TON of comments about the signs on our backs and our very pregnant bellies. We got a lot of "Go Mamas!" and other fun cheers. One guy asked Abbe if today really was her due date. He then went on to offer that he's a doctor and asked her if she's dilated (uh, too far maybe?). We just joked that we probably wouldn't be needing his services on our run. :)

We hit the first mile in 11:10 - a little faster than our normal pace but still comfortable.

Having a fun run

Crossing the Ayd Mill bridge - a great belly shot

Mostly we just ran and talked and waved to the people cheering. The streets were lined with vendors getting ready for the day's celebration. I remember feeling really nauseated by all of the food smells a couple of years ago when I was racing hard, but to a pregnant lady on an easy run, doughnuts and other horrible for you food smells delicious. Good thing Steve and I only brought enough cash to indulge in a post-run bubble tea...

More food, strollers, and runners

I grabbed some water when we hit the turn around. The sun was starting to heat everything up. I drank some and poured the rest down my back. We haven't had many 80+ degree days here yet this spring. I was getting a little warm but definitely not overheated.

We hit our second mile in 11:17 - just fine with both of us. One guy pushing a double BOB passed us and told us we'd be in those shoes next year. I joked that I hoped I wouldn't be pushing a double BOB next year.

As we neared Snelling, we were heading up a small hill and decided to walk for a couple of minutes. We definitely weren't going for PRs. Once we got to the top of hill, we knew we'd have just about 0.5 miles to go. It was then that Steve overheard a small group behind us say, "We can't let the pregnant women beat us!" As the four of them passed us, one woman in the group told us that she loved seeing us out there. She said she was a few months postpartum and wished she would have been running toward the end.

Getting started again and running down the hill

We passed Micah and Gus on our way to the finish line, which seemed to sneak up on us.

Finishing with smiles on our faces

Heading to the finish line. Gus the pug is cheering his mom on (on the right)

We finished our final 1.1 miles in 14:10 for a total time of around 36:37 on my watch. (I still have to check on the official finishing time - it was chip timed).

Hopefully this is my last "race" before Baby comes. I'd really love to meet him/her soon! I guess we'll see, though, since it might be a few weeks yet and I may be out a running partner soon. It was just a fun way to get out there and be active with a few hundred other people. It was a preggo lady's dream with porta potties everywhere! It was fun to hear all of the cheers for our bellies, and we had so many moms come up and tell us that they loved seeing us out there, including a couple who were running just a couple of months postpartum.

When Steve and I got home, we grilled some food, made some banana muffins, and weeded the garden quick. Then I took a well-deserved nap. What a fun weekend!