![]() |
February, 2011 |

Another 5K this chilly February morning….the Polar Bear Run! Twenty-five degrees is COLD anywhere, but not too often does it dip this low in Georgia. “What’ll we wear to run in below-freezing weather?” my sister Karen and I whine. This is our fourth race. We’re feeling more confident being members of the "runner world." We know the routine of checking in, warming up, pacing ourselves. We really just want the motivation, the camaraderie of other folks in our over-50 age group. We layer up and wear hats, scarves and gloves. However, our toasty Nanook of the North style clashes with everyone else’s body-hugging, fashionable-looking warm clothes. A few minutes into the race, our pace slows as we unzip, untie and take off our jackets. I stuff my gloves and Kleenex into pockets and sleeves, looking disheveled but able to move much faster now!
After doing years of Zumba, yoga, morning runs and nature hikes together, we realized one day in 2009 we could easily do a 3.1 mile race….no problem. We saw a poster for a “Trail Run” at the local high school and excitedly sent in our $25 registration. The form asked for the usual information...including our ages, but we had no clue what our time/level/capability was. But we had to put something in the red-starred box; if we could sometimes run a 12-minute mile, should we put in 36 minutes? Did we want to seem fast and be in the front of the pack? Hell no. We rounded it to 40 minutes, hoping we’d be placed in the middle at least. But Karen and I really had no idea what we wanted, or what we were getting into. No big deal we told each other….this will be fun! We can do this!
As we parked in back of the school, we noticed the crowd
gathering in a weed-high field. Yikes! We nonchalantly wound our way to the registration
desk, careful not to trip over ruts and gnarled chunks of dead grass. Still acting cool, we held the shoe clip in
one hand and our paper number in the other trying to figure out where and how
to fasten them. As we pretended to stretch and compare numbers, two good-looking
guys offered to lean down and “do our shoes.” My sister said “oh, that’s okay, we can do it” while I sputtered, “Oh, thank you so much. This
is our first time”as Karen shot me daggers. Not only did they attach it, they
explained how Chip Timers recorded our time. Next, they asked if we’d grabbed
safety pins from the registration desk. Ahhhhh, no. “You mean there’s an
electronic device on our shoes but we still use four safety pins to attach the
race number?” I asked, sounding indignant. I ran back and grabbed some, getting
a little nervous as the clock moved closer to the 8:00 start time. Meanwhile, my
sister enjoyed the company of both young men who were using their "help the old first-timer" manners, I’m sure.
![]() |
December, 2009; our first 5K...sorta! |
![]() |
January, 2010 |
A month later, we did the early morning New Year’s Day Race through constant drizzle; but this time it was held on paved, blocked-off streets. We were better prepared and motivated to get it done in 40-45 minutes. As usual, Karen finished ahead of me; I sometimes had to walk a few minutes. But we achieved our goal; less than an hour. Chilled and drenched, I looked pretty unhappy just strolling across the finish line. But I must have run most of it, my time was 46 minutes.
![]() |
April, 2010 |
Hot and
hilly is not easy; I accepted the shuttle ride up a half-mile high hill.
Because of my age…..which I’m sure the computer printout highlights in yellow…..race
officials seemed to know whom to keep an eye on. But there were younger,
out-of-breath people also on that shuttle. I told myself it was wise; I wanted
to live another day to dance in Zumba class! Getting out and running downhill
was a breeze and I clocked in at 47.31 minutes.....thanks to cheating.
With a mix of sister rivalry and encouragement, we continued our outdoor and gym activities the rest of the year. Thirteen years younger, Karen says she wants to keep in shape like me as she grows along. In turn, she gets me to try new things. Kayaking, climbing Stone Mountain, swimming laps, weight training are things I might have missed if it wasn’t for her. Although we walked, ran and rode our bikes frequently, we didn’t think about another race until the following February.
With a mix of sister rivalry and encouragement, we continued our outdoor and gym activities the rest of the year. Thirteen years younger, Karen says she wants to keep in shape like me as she grows along. In turn, she gets me to try new things. Kayaking, climbing Stone Mountain, swimming laps, weight training are things I might have missed if it wasn’t for her. Although we walked, ran and rode our bikes frequently, we didn’t think about another race until the following February.
We noted our times; but after awhile they weren’t that
important. We liked bettering ourselves and the high we got from accomplishing
something difficult.
Shortly after the Polar Bear Race, we discussed Atlanta’s famous Peachtree Road Race! We looked up 10 kilometers and knew we could do 6.2 miles if we put our minds to it. There's a random drawing for this race and wouldn’t you know we were accepted. OMG…this was big time! Scary big-city-crowd big time! An eight-week training course was offered in our area, so every Saturday in May and June we ran/walked 6 miles with team leaders ahead and behind us. In June it can be 80 degrees first thing in the morning; that was the point….how to stay hydrated and pace ourselves in heat. We learned from speakers and videos and doctors as well as on different practice routes. Clocking it in my car one day, I couldn’t believe it….no one walks six miles to the mall, the new high school or the Greenway! One Saturday I just couldn't do it; worn out, I wanted to bail. I called my husband after four miles or so and asked him to come get me. He said no. I was probably in tears at that point, but forever grateful afterward that he said no. I soldiered on and made it back to the starting point!
Shortly after the Polar Bear Race, we discussed Atlanta’s famous Peachtree Road Race! We looked up 10 kilometers and knew we could do 6.2 miles if we put our minds to it. There's a random drawing for this race and wouldn’t you know we were accepted. OMG…this was big time! Scary big-city-crowd big time! An eight-week training course was offered in our area, so every Saturday in May and June we ran/walked 6 miles with team leaders ahead and behind us. In June it can be 80 degrees first thing in the morning; that was the point….how to stay hydrated and pace ourselves in heat. We learned from speakers and videos and doctors as well as on different practice routes. Clocking it in my car one day, I couldn’t believe it….no one walks six miles to the mall, the new high school or the Greenway! One Saturday I just couldn't do it; worn out, I wanted to bail. I called my husband after four miles or so and asked him to come get me. He said no. I was probably in tears at that point, but forever grateful afterward that he said no. I soldiered on and made it back to the starting point!
My first and only 10K, July 2011 |
The Peachtree is held on the 4th of July. NO ONE
goes downtown that day unless you’re in it…..or there to cheer someone on! Jim
and my kids, my sister’s kids…..they all said “No thanks. Have fun, hope you
survive!” There’s a steep climb along this race route referred to as Heartbreak Hill due to heart attacks over the years. Survival jokes aside, we’d
practiced on hills and felt confident we could handle it. Karen finished before
me again, but finishing within two hours was my goal and I did it in 1.54! I
felt pretty proud as I realized there were still folks behind me with at least
a mile to go before they’d sleep!
"That’s it," we said. "We have done the Peachtree!" After 28 years in Georgia, we’d done the Peachtree. We didn’t need to spend another dime on a race when we could just walk around the parks and trails in our northern suburban community. With a family history of heart disease, we’d improved our strength and endurance as well as pleased our cardiologist!
My sister, now the manager at a senior center and close with city leaders, coaxed me into doing one more 5K…the Mayor’s Race in the winter of 2013. Layered up and wearing the blue ‘lucky’ scarf my niece had made me, we arrived in the dark and drank free cups of coffee as we waited for a 7:00 start time. After the Peachtree, we’d lost the urge to RUN a whole damn race….jogging had become our gait of choice. Karen took off eagerly, and I waved her on ahead; deciding to just walk and breathe this time. I missed my loud, motivating music and wished I’d brought my ear buds along. This route was a tree-lined boulevard, down one side and up the other to the finish line. At about the 2.8 mile marker, I stopped, held onto a tree and did a few knee lifts to ease my tightening legs. A police cruiser stopped and the driver asked if I was okay. I assured him I was and jogged onward. But my left leg kept cramping and I worried about stumbling. As the officer drove by again, he stopped and waved me over. Oh God…so cute, so young, so sweet. “How about I give you a lift to the 3 mile marker, just before you turn the corner for that final push?” he winked. And so…..cheater that I am, I said okay.
"That’s it," we said. "We have done the Peachtree!" After 28 years in Georgia, we’d done the Peachtree. We didn’t need to spend another dime on a race when we could just walk around the parks and trails in our northern suburban community. With a family history of heart disease, we’d improved our strength and endurance as well as pleased our cardiologist!
My sister, now the manager at a senior center and close with city leaders, coaxed me into doing one more 5K…the Mayor’s Race in the winter of 2013. Layered up and wearing the blue ‘lucky’ scarf my niece had made me, we arrived in the dark and drank free cups of coffee as we waited for a 7:00 start time. After the Peachtree, we’d lost the urge to RUN a whole damn race….jogging had become our gait of choice. Karen took off eagerly, and I waved her on ahead; deciding to just walk and breathe this time. I missed my loud, motivating music and wished I’d brought my ear buds along. This route was a tree-lined boulevard, down one side and up the other to the finish line. At about the 2.8 mile marker, I stopped, held onto a tree and did a few knee lifts to ease my tightening legs. A police cruiser stopped and the driver asked if I was okay. I assured him I was and jogged onward. But my left leg kept cramping and I worried about stumbling. As the officer drove by again, he stopped and waved me over. Oh God…so cute, so young, so sweet. “How about I give you a lift to the 3 mile marker, just before you turn the corner for that final push?” he winked. And so…..cheater that I am, I said okay.
January, 2013 |
Winter Blast, February, 2015 |
The 2017 Winter Blast is coming soon, but wouldn’t you know, I’ll be out of town. I think walking 3.1 miles in Florida sand with my girlfriends will be just about perfect!