The Go Red for Women 5K

It was a beautiful, cool morning. The temperature was in the 60s and the humidity was not so bad. As we drove across town to Downtown Disney for the race, the sun began to light up the sky. By the time we parked the car, it was light outside and the loud speakers were already blaring announcements about the 1 mile and 5K races that were soon to begin.

We wore our matching shirts that we picked up with our race packets at the expo the night before. Personally I don't like the tight shirts, but I underestimated the size shirt I would need. Some mediums seem large, others small....but I was going to wear the team shirt. In addition to our race numbers, we received a special bib that showed we were a mother-daughter team - also including our names. We wore those on our backs.

Minnie Mouse was on hand to start the race (since it is part of the Minnie Marathon Weekend). At 7:15 am, the 1 mile walk and fun run began. Then at 7:30 am, the 5K started. Although it was not a huge field of runners, the course was not very wide, and in some places only the width of a large sidewalk. There was little room for walkers and runners - and those of us who were both walking and running had to adjust for the traffic - but overall it was a really cool run.

We made our way through the West Side of Downtown Disney - the race entered from the parking lot right near Cirque de Soleil and the House of Blues. We ran through the shopping area, and then through Disney's Pleasure Island - an area with a variety of dance clubs and other night spots. Coming out the other side of Pleasure Island, we then ran through the Marketplace. There are many shops there including a huge Lego outlet which included a sea monster and T-rex made out of legos. As we ran around the small lake that was at the Downtown Disney area, we ran through part of the French Quarter (a hotel/resort area) along the water, then ran through part of the golf course before coming back to the parking lot outside of Cirque de Soleil once again.

My daughter and I did well - and though toward the end we were taking running breaks between walking, my daughter finished her third ever 5K!!! At first I was a bit frustrated that she wanted to walk so much, that is, before I realized during the last mile of the race that it was amazing that she was even doing a 5K. I didn't run my first 5K until I was 40 years old. So I stopped being such a fuddy dud and enjoyed the last mile of our race together.

As we crossed the finish line, hand in hand with our arms in the air I was so excited and proud to be running with my daughter. Our clock time was 43:23, net time of 42:59. I grabbed her medal and insisted on placing her finishers medal around her neck. I was so proud. We hugged as we waited in line for a finishers picture together. It wasn't until a good 5 minutes after that when I realized I never shut my Garmin off. I guess I was really enjoying the moment!

After a banana and bagel, we headed home - happy and tired after another race, listening to Phedippedations and getting inspired for the next one!

Later I learned that our mother-daughter team placed 29th out of 62 teams! Go team!!