Get Your Rear in Gear 5K race report

SPOILER ALERT: I achieved one of my goals for 2014... and one of my 101 tasks... with a PR in this race!

My sweet pal Keely organizes a race called Get Your Rear in Gear. She created the event to honor her mom, who passed away 4 years ago at the age of 48 to colon cancer. I have known about the race for years, but never managed to run it.

Thanks to the time change -- and to not staying out TOO late on Saturday night -- I woke up this morning at 7:30. Because the race started at 8:30, I thought, what the heck? Threw on some clothes, grabbed a piece of bread and a bottle of fizzy water, and drove the 30 minutes to Redmond's Marymoor Park.

I arrived with 15 minutes to spare, got signed up, and then sorta realized what I had done -- I guess I now had to run this thing, huh.

I got in the starting chute, got teary-eyed while Keely talked about her mom and why she created this event, and then got ready to run.

before the start

Highlight: after Keely said, "Go!", the DJ played Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back". Classic.

I wasn't feeling super great -- and I certainly wasn't feeling limber or peppy -- but I decided I would just see how it went. I tried to focus on my breathing, and on running easily.

I also distracted myself by listening to other runners.

Mom to young daughter: "We've run this course before -- we just go around the corner and start heading back. I'd say we're more than halfway done."
Daughter to mom, a few seconds later: "Then why does that sign say 1 MILE?"

Ho ho ho.

The course was pretty easy and smooth -- after all, it's all run on paths in Marymoor Park, which probably averages one 5K per weekend during the year.

Not much to report, running wise -- except that I seemed to be passing people pretty regularly, and not being passed.

After mile 2 I started feeling a little queasy (typical!), so I backed off a little... and then started taking brief walk breaks. It was around the 2.5-mile point that I thought, hmm, this seems to be going okay... which then made me feel funny and need to stop and walk. Yeah, that's dumb, I know.

Not long before the final turn, I thought, "No, I won't break 30-minutes. Can't do it." And then, when I made the final turn, thought, "Oh, um, I still have 90 seconds... let's go."

And while I haven't found the official results online yet, my GPS tells me I finished in 29:32. A PR. And a goal. And a task. And a Very Big Surprise.

Of course, the important part is that I donated $40 to the Colon Cancer Coalition, 75% of which will stay in our local community.

Seventy-five percent of the net proceeds from each event go back into the local community to fund colon cancer support, education, prevention, and screening programs. The money is designated by the local volunteer committee to make the biggest impact for their area.

(But, yeah, I'm pretty happy about the new PR... :) )

Another highlight: the "Drummers for Bummers" group (really? really?) was a high school drum line who marched the 5K while playing the drums. Very nice.

Highlight #3: After the finish line, we ran through a giant inflatable colon. That's right, a Giant. Inflatable. Colon.

That's right. Giant. Inflatable. Colon.

Oooh, official results (which look like no one got "chip time" -- but I'm within a few seconds anyway):