Gimme Shelter 5k

Though the day started out quite cold...28 degrees by my gauge at home...it ended up a gorgeous warmer one!!! As we got ready to go to Hattiesburg to participate in the Gimme Shelter 5k, I tried to talk myself out of going because of the cold. I rarely run in cold weather and when it is, I wait until the warmer part of the day to do it. But when it is a race, you are locked in to the time. So I jumped in my running clothes (all 3 layers of 'em) and hesitantly headed to the truck shivering all the way. I knew once I got that far, there would be no turning back. And I knew that once I met up with fellow runners the cold would NOT be the main topic of conversation. The race was held at University Baptist Church where a fellow pacer, Bro. Phillip Reynolds, is pastor. The proceeds from the run went to benefit the homeless in a town in Mexico. Great reason to run, huh?

It seemed so long since we've gotten together for a race. The last one was January 1st for the Steam Whistle 12k, practically 8 weeks ago! I missed every one of my PBPers. When we pulled into the parking lot, I immediately saw Audrey. Now, don't get me wrong, she is a regular gal and neither the way she looked nor what she wore grabbed my attention...BUT her dancing around to keep warm with this huge smile drew me in. I could hardly wait to get with the group. Now, on to the pictures...

This first one I had to share. This was the youngest runner for the 5k!! That's right, I said 5k, 3.1 miles! This picture is not of a child running in a Fun Run. Isn't he just precious!! Look at how earnest he is with that little tongue out and in running mode! The way his little blonde hair is swirled around on top of his head looks like a little halo, don't it? Now....there's no excuse....get out and do SOMETHING!! Recall this picture if it helps to get you motivated.

The next several are action pictures. First up are of Kent and me.



There were so many taken I only posted a few. You can see all of them here. Audrey, Ginny, Frank and Nestor are shown below. Nestor ran ahead of me, stopped took my picture, ran more, stopped and took more, all throughout the race!! He has the sweetest attitude in doing this and a great runner to boot. I'm glad someone got his picture. Thanks, Nestor!





We both received awards. Kent got 3rd place in his age group and I received the Grand Masters award with a gift certificate to Soccer Locker.



With all of this said, I will gladly leave you with a picture of how we all felt when we got to the finish line UPHILL!!