Well I got up on time and made it over to Omaha by about 6:00. The race didn't start until 7:00a.m. but I wanted to be early so I could get a parking place and so I would know what I was doing.

Remember this was three races in one. It was a 10K, a half-marathon, and a full marathon. It was a race that benefited 4 charities. There were over 3,000 people there.

The atmosphere was definitely not quiet and calm. When I got to Rick's Boat Yard there was music playing out of speakers and people picking up their packets and checking their bags. There was a variety of people, men & women : old, young, and in between: tall, short, round, and skinny. There were also two wheel-chair athletes. The woman has traveled all over the US and has been in a Marathon in every state. She is on her second time through the states and she is on #15.

Before the race started there were short speeches by Dr. Joann Schaefer, Mayor Suttle, Andrea Rich WOWT, and a minister who ran barefooted. The minister said to think of the race as an acronym. R-Resolve, A-Aim, C-Character, and E-Endurance. All the speeches were really meant to "pep" you up.

People were stretching, jumping up and down, and embracing family or friends. I tried to figure out what I should be doing to warm up so I didn't stick out. I stretched out my legs. By now it was getting closer to race time. The speeches were given and Mayor Suttle fired the gun to start the races.

I started at my usual pace and ran at different times throughout the race. There was a man who was close to me time wise and I asked if he was running the 10K, he said "yes". He was a pace runner and he knew exactly how many minutes to the next mile marker. He was fun to run/walk with. So I did have some company on the race. That was great because my MP3 player died at mile marker 2 with 4.2 to go.

My race time ended up being 79minutes and 28 seconds. I ran a 12.:48 minute mile. That's pretty good for me I think because I remember running the Boxer 500 in about 45 minutes and it's half as long as the 10K. So I guess you could say I've shaved off some time on my pace.

When I was finished they handed me a bottle of water. I walked over to several exhibits and picked up some freebies. I also got some skim chocolate milk from Robert's. That was my protein and carbs within 30 minutes of exercising.

Kudos to the Omaha police for directing traffic and all the race volunteers for cheering us on and giving us water. I really had a great time. I may not have run the whole thing or even have a fast time but it will be an experience I won't soon forget. I picked up a form to sign up for the Marathon 2010. Not to run the Marathon but to probably run the 10K again. Maybe run it the whole way.

Congratulations to Andrea Rich on her great finish in the Half-Marathon.

I'm going to take a nap now.

Blessings,
Laurie