Red Bird Run

May 12, 2012 ~ my first Red Bird Run.  Joined by Patrick Barton & Honey Badger Team Racing members Rob Holland and Kirsten Handler.  A beautiful day along Lake Erie.  In the 60's and bright sunshine.  The run was put on by the Track and Cross Country teams, and a deal was put before the kids.  "Hey middle school kids, do you think you can run faster than a girl?  Any boy who beats Coach K and any girl who beats Coach Barton will win a donut party for their first period class."  WHAT?  That's some serious pressure.  Audrey came up to me and said, "Mrs. Barton, I can't beat you, but Emily can.  And she's in my first period class."
At the start, the middle school kids lined up right behind the high school kids...and I told them, "Don't run with the high school girls.  They are going to shoot out of here and we will run out of gas if we follow them."  Well, Emily goes out with them and I don't follow my own advice.  I was at 7:04 @ the first mile.  Had to slow it down some then.  I could see Emily, but I knew, unless she fell down and stayed there I had no chance.  And no chance had I.  She beat me by a couple of minutes.  AND Peter beat Coach K...so we each gave up one donut party.  (Jacob's happy because Peter's in his first period class.)
BUT, BUT, BUT.  Even though I did not break 23 minutes (24:16 to be precise), I placed 55th ~ AND I WON MY AGE GROUP.  NUMBER 1.  BEST OF THE 40 YEAR OLD WOMEN.  It really took all I could not to jump up and down and dance when they called my name.  I handled it, but I was jumping up and down on the inside.
Patrick ran 22:36...with all those cross country kids he didn't place, but he beat his champion mother!  He did win a door prize...two movie tickets!
And Rob won his age group too!  We were two victors eating breakfast & drinking beer at Cornerstone after the race.
Exciting day.