The Day After

Now that the glow of finishing my first 5K has softened a little, I have some more thoughts on the race.
First of all, how do you drink a paper cup of cold water while you are running? There must be a trick to that. In fact, I think there is an art to getting the cup in the first place. I managed to time my grab just right and then jogged on a few steps figuring out how to drink it. After I choked on a gulp that went down the wrong pipe, I threw my cup in the pile. Which was another thing that bothered me. I littered! It went against my grain to throw that cup in the road, but I did it. I am sure someone comes along and cleans all of those cups up, right? Next time, I am just going to pour the water on my head.
Second of all, for those who were actually racing ( that means those who had a hope of winning it), can they cut corners? I mean a sidewalk corner cut could mean a difference of a few seconds and a win. A bush hurdle could be what puts someone in the lead.
Last thought: If Bea was my running coach, I would probably win a 5K one day! This coach was amazing!! She pushed those she was around just a little, not too much. But we all got out of our comfort zones. She gave good running advice while we were running and most importantly, she made the race a points game. Sort of like a video game. She said each person you pass counts for 1 point and each person that passes you takes off 5 of your points. She got me there. I tried not to think of it that way, but I couldn't help it. In the end, I am not sure I gained a lot of points, bit I sure tried hard not to lose any!!
The race was fun and not too hard for me. Don't get me wrong, I had to work for it and it was a challenge. I am proud of myself, too. But I am even more proud of those I saw come after me. I heard them struggling through the runs and saw them pushing as hard as they could to get to that finish line. For some of the people running this was an accomplishment they NEVER thought they could do. I am SO SO proud of them!!! I want to be like the grandmothers I saw running yesterday, never giving up!