Latest News from FiftyTwo4Mom

Biloxi, Mississippi was a great visit for us.  Our host was really great to us all week and helped us find our way around the city.  Several local restaurants wanted to help us out and are collecting donations from their patrons over the next few weeks.  We were also able to do some fundraising and pass out information at the Rodeo Championships on Friday night.  Saturday was the 5k and Arbor Day Festival.  The Gulf Coast Running Club put on a great event right near the coast, and as always, the runners were very generous and contributed to our cause.  Since I have been doing more distance training than short running, the race was a little tougher than I would have liked, but overall I ran well and finished in 23:05.  Not my fastest 5k, but that wasn’t what mattered. 

After the race, we participated in the Arbor Day Festival, which was put on by Disability Connections, a group set up to spread awareness about disabilities.  There were lots of booths and great activities and we were able to make an announcement on stage about the organization and our goals.  Lots of people made donations and took information to check us out online.

Sunday wrapped up the trip in Mississippi, and I spent the day working at the Flea Market near Biloxi.  This was FiftyTwo4Mom’s first time trying such an event, and it was a great opportunity to reach a large number of people.  I think some people thought I was running a raffle or trying to sign them up for something, but once I was able to get their attention and talk to them about the organization, people were very receptive. 

Mississippi was a great trip for FiftyTwo4Mom and we look forward to our next stop, New Orleans.

For the week in photos check out: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=43834&id=172123116132894

Anne from AdvoCare made a sign to support me during the half marathon.

I was really excited for Sunday, as this is my first race since my Marathon, and from what people were saying this was to be a flat course.  The day of the race, I was pumped and ready to go.  The weather was perfect for a longer run, in the upper 40’s with very little wind.  I took the rehydrate given to me by Anne with the hopes it would keep me from getting cramps.  The race started off and I immediately realized that Alabama’s version of flat is not the same as my version of flat.  From the first mile the entire course was a long series of rolling hills with very few flat portions.  This did not stop me from setting off to a very quick pace, exceeding my planned pace 8 minute miles over the first 3 miles.  I reached the 10k mark in a little over 47 minutes.  As the race continued the hills did start to slow my pace, and towards the end my legs could feel the burn.  I was able to just beat my goal of running under an hour and 55 minutes crossing the finish line in 1:54.59. 

This week was a great start to the second leg of our journey and has really energized me.  I look forward to our next 6 races with our next stop being the Arbor Day 5k in Biloxi, Mississippi.