It All Makes Sense Why…

I’ve never entered an actual race in my life. {Track doesn’t count.}

But Elizabeth begged me to participate in the Mayor’s Cup 1 and 2 mile race for the Pear Blossom Festival.

*Unimportant, informative side note: Medford holds a Pear Blossom Festival each spring to…?celebrate the pear blossoms, since it’s a big part of the economy here and there’s a certain kind of pear that can only be grown here and a in a certain part of France.

So I signed us up.

We received the ‘race’ information on Friday.  It had the route laid out and the times to be there. 

Here’s the thing.  I’ve never participated in or spectated at this race.  I had really no idea what I was doing.

The sheet had two times, 7:50am and 8:30am. 

The 8:30 time sounded more appealing for a Saturday morning.

We arrived at the start/finish area at 8:05am.

There were quite a few people milling about.  Lots of people stretching, adjusting music players, chatting with friends.

I thought, ‘Man, these people take their two milers pretty seriously’.

The guns shot and we started the race.

Elizabeth in her jeans and tennis shoes, Spencer in our really old, dilapidated blue umbrella stroller, still in his pajamas, and me, in my really old, falling down sweat pants because the drawstring broke months ago. 

But it was all sufficient for only two miles.

Well, it was only going to be two miles until I realized that we had accidentally entered the 10 mile Pear Blossom Run.

When did I figure this out?

When they started handing us water,

telling us how awesome we were doing,

we were being passed by elderly women,

we passed the two mile marker and everyone was still going,

our race numbers were different than everyone else’s….

In a situation like this, it’s important to not become embarrassed.

It’s important to ignore the comments that I should be walking the ten miles with a jogging stroller (as if I was jogging anyway).

So, Elizabeth, Spencer, and I just smiled and waved like the brilliant people we are and enjoyed our time together.

We ended up turning around at the three mile marker, which means, we did six miles total.

Bryce is doing it next year.

Katie