I first heard about the Megan Savage 5k by searching for local races. This one seemed like as good as any to run since A) it was relatively local and B) More importantly, it supported a cause that means a lot to me.
Since it was relatively local, Jeff and I picked up our bibs and t-shirts yesterday after work and got some instructions regarding parking. The volunteers advised that parking was BAD and the only way to beat it was to get there early. They mentioned some people even had to park about a 1/2 mile away. Jeff and I figured walking a 1/2 mile didn’t sound too bad…
We got up around 6:15 am and headed out the door around 6:45 am. We stopped at a gas station for some gas, Gatorade and a Clif bar.
Once we got to the park, we parked easily and hung out in the car until the kids were ready to run their 1k race around the park.
There were about a dozen vendors/organizations there to sell items and encourage people to sign up for different races.
They had a display of photos from prior races and the Savage family.
We made our way down to watch the kids run. They had the volunteers line up on one side with pom poms to cheer on the kids.
Ready…Set…
Go!
Pretty soon, it was the 5k racers’ turn to line up.
We sang the Star Spangled Banner and then we were off!
The first mile was rough! It was all uphill and at the very end a super steep incline. I ended up having to walk 2 times during the first mile and began to doubt if I had it in me.
Thankfully, as soon as we turned the corner, it was ALL DOWNHILL!! Through out the race, the volunteers were on the sidelines cheering us on.
The second mile was much smoother and felt like a regular weekday run but with different scenery.
The houses in this area are so nice! Much better than the dairies we run by. 
Around 2.5 miles, Jeff began to run ahead of me in hopes of getting to the finish line to take pictures.
Jeff took the camera and snapped the below pictures. You can see the finish line in the distance!
Right before he crossed, Jeff stopped to get the finish line. The announcer poked fun of him saying (into the mic) that he was stopping to prove to his buddies that he finished! Nope, just needed the picture for the blog! 
He grabbed his water and goodie bag and turned around to catch me coming through. There I am, tired but happy!
We are waiting for the official results, but the Garmin says Jeff was able to finish in 35:10 and I finished in 36:18 – a PR! Hopefully those are the roughly the same as the official times.
We had so much fun! We grabbed some orange slices and then headed towards home to have a big breakfast.
We may or may not be bitten by the racing bug. Stay tuned to hear about our next run…
