Turkey Trot

We signed up to race the So Others Might Eat Trot For Hunger 5k this morning. When signing up, I thought we'd be fair weather racers. The boys have never done a 5k, and the weather was iffy. I considered our registration fee a donation to a good charity (which it was), so wouldn't be broken hearted with a DNS.

Last night we had friends over to dinner...got to bed around midnight, and knew the forecast was for rain and 45 degree temps. We'd decided to take the DNS, and feel good about our donation while we slept in, and woke up to a nice breakfast.

Carter woke up at 7:45 and asked when we were leaving for the race...the race that started at 8:30. We told him we were going to cancel it. He wasn't going to accept the DNS, as he told his teacher that he was going to run on Thanksgiving, so we better run. That's when the race began.

Sonya whipped together breakfast for the road, the boys got dressed. I jumped off the toilet and rushed them to the car. We were on the road by 7:50. I flew up 395, while Sonya and the boys finished dressing in the car. I dropped them off on Independence Avenue at 8:15 and began the search for parking. My fail-safe parking choice of the Tidal Basin Boathouse lot was full with racers...made a few illegal left turns and parked in front of the Smithsonian at 8:20. Had 10 minutes to run the mile to the start. Made it to the start line at 8:27, pinned my number with 3 minutes to spare.

Carter and I ran together. We did a run-walk combo, where we ran about half the time...2 minute, 1 minute, 30 second, lightpost to lightpost intervals. Sonya and Jack were a few minutes behind. Both boys finished their first 5k. I told Carter that I was 21 the first time I pinned a number on my chest and ran, and he and Jack were doing it at 6 and 4...he felt pretty good about himself, especially after we finished and he saw a few bigger kids running across the line.

It was a fun race...proud of everyone, especially for the race to the start. We set a new PR for getting out of the house and making it into DC.

genius

last saturday, i was suddenly awakened by crusty crawling up my back leg. i jumped out of bed, and in my most masculine voice yelled "what the F?"...actually it was a high pitched "ehhh!" according to Sonya's account of the situation. anyhow, i quickly grabbed crusty and put her in the cage. knowing that baby bootsy, new bootsy, or rebootsy, was still running around, i was unable to get any sound sleep.

first thing in the morning, we blamed the boys for leaving the open, knowing that the lack of opposable digits prevents the rats from opening the cage. in nearly a year, crusty has never proven capable.

later in the week, we caught baby bootsy in the act, proving that rats are smart, and opposable digits are overrated.

so, it wasn't the boys, or the ghost that jack blamed. bootsy is the cage opener. i owe both the boys and jack's ghost an apology.