Drumming and running

I can certainly tell I am WAY out of running practice. I had the MLK Day Drum Run 5K on Monday and my legs felt heavy afterward. Time to get back at it and run more, be inactive less.
I met up with my running buddies Angela, Carolyn and Susan for the race.

  

Susan, Angela, me and Carolyn

This is the race that has middle and high school drum lines along the route, which is completely contained within Piedmont Park in Atlanta.

Hearing the beat

This race, because it is within Piedmont Park, is part cross country race, part 5K. You start by running across the meadow and then winding around walking and running trails in the park.

Coming into the finish

I must have enjoyed the race, I'm smiling!

We finished up the race and met up with Susan and Carolyn's friend Donna, who has become my newest running buddy.

Finishers!

It was a great race. The temps were cool, but not cold. And it was good to get back to running.

Out in the cold

The last two 5Ks I've run remind me why running in Atlanta in January can be so unpredictable.
I ran the Frostbite 5K on Jan. 10. Two years ago I ran the race in a T-shirt and shorts. Last year it got canceled because of lightning. This year it went off without a hitch, but it was so cold!
I felt like I had lead legs, too. So I didn't really have a great race time. Usually I feel like I should run better when it's cold and low humidity.
This morning's 5K, the MLK Day 5K - Let Freedom Run was even colder! 19 degrees at the start.
I ran this with my friend Erin today.

Erin and me before the race

I did a little bit better on my time, but I felt like I was running too fast. I felt like I couldn't catch my breath. Maybe that's the trick. I came in 30 seconds faster than last week!
But all in all, I don't want to be out in the cold.

Drumming and running

Monday was Martin Luther King Day here in the United States, and for the third year it was the MLK Day 5K in Atlanta.
This year's race was much bigger than last year and much colder!
It was 34 degrees at the start. This race is part cross country, part road race. I dislike the cross-country part because I'm not very good at trail running, probably because I just don't do enough of it.
I ran this race with my co-worker and friend Ellie and her boyfriend Dave, whom I met at the race. Both Ellie and I went to the University of Missouri, and Ellie wore her Mizzou hat. She's lucky I didn't steal it!! I want one!

Dave, Ellie and me before the race

What I love about this race is there is a drum line that is part of the race. This year there were LOTS of drum line participants. The first year and last year, there were really only drum lines at the start and finish. This year, there was motivation all along the way. This race has really grown every year.

Motivating drum line

Keeping us going

Strong support

 I can see that my January races are going to be marked by really cold temperatures. I've got two races this weekend and I don't think either start will be above freezing temperatures.
It has been so cold the past few days, that I saw this near my office as I was walking to lunch yesterday:

Frozen fountain

The fountain really was pretty all frozen, but you'd think someone would have thought to turn it off, if only to ensure no pipes froze or burst!

I'll try to remember the volunteer drummers as I race this weekend, hearing the rhythm in my head to keep my legs turning.

Cause running

I once had a friend ask me why I ran so many 5K races.

First, I like them. I like getting out and seeing new parts of Atlanta and its suburbs. There is really nothing like seeing the city by foot.

Second, most 5K races have a charitable component, so it affords me the opportunity to donate or raise money for charities or causes I believe in. I've run many a race that benefits breast cancer research/survivors, but I've also run races to benefit schools, leukemia research, epilepsy research, developmental disabilities research and a host of others. This morning, I raced to end homelessness.
I ran the Atlanta Mission 5K with my friend Michelle.

Michelle and me before the race

Aside from feeling good about myself for running the race and raising a little money for the cause, I also was very humbled this morning.
After so many weeks of a mild winter, much cooler temps have arrived in Atlanta. This morning's 39 degree start meant I was wearing long running tights. two long-sleeved shirts and a sweatshirt, a hat and gloves. Just pulling off my gloves to start my smartphone/running app made me groan.
So imagine my chagrin when the race director lead us all in prayer this morning before the race, and reminded all of us that while we are out in the cold for just a few minutes, there are those among us that don't get to go back to warm cars and warm houses. That 39 degrees, or so, is a constant today.
Suddenly, I realized how very blessed I am to have a roof over my head and heat coming out of the furnace.
I ran another inspiring race this past Monday, the MLK Day 5K.
I ran this race last year, but by myself.
This year, my friends Erin and Mary ran it, too.

Mary, Erin and me

Last year the race was in Buckhead, and ran throughout one of Atlanta's major business districts. Since not everyone had the day off, the course caused some traffic inconvenience to those driving that morning. This year, the race was entirely within Piedmont Park. No drivers were inconvenienced for the race.

However, all last week Atlanta saw copious amounts of rain.
I had joked that since the Atlanta Falcons had beaten the Seattle Seahawks in the first round of playoffs, we'd gotten Seattle weather all week.
That meant the MLK Day 5K ended up being part mud run, part trail run and part road race.
One really fun thing about the MLK Day 5K are the high school and middle school student drum lines that keep the rhythm (and runners) going.

A very young drum line

I enjoyed doing the MLK Day 5K and hope to make it a part of my annual races. And I think the Atlanta Mission 5K is one I will continue to run, year after year, if only to remind me of how blessed I really am.

Let freedom run

For the first time since I've been working for my company, which is nearly 15 years, we have Martin Luther King Jr. Day off.
So what did I do with my day off? Ran a 5K, of course!
It was the inaugural MLK Day 5K -- Let Freedom Run. A balmy 37 degrees at the start. No more warm January weather, I'm afraid.
The course was throughout Atlanta's Buckhead and I can tell you that we runners made a lot of Buckhead drivers unhappy. I don't think all of that car honking was for support. :)
Just so you know, car honkers, that noise doesn't make me run any faster.
I found a penny on this morning's run. I actually spotted three pennies, but I could only safely collect one of them. A female runner next to me got one of them, too. She said she had found a penny a day for the past three weeks. That is a nice, and lucky, little streak!
During the race, there were high school drum lines along the course offering some motivation. I fully intended to take some photos and post them, but my hands were in gloves the whole time and it was too hard to try to get the camera out with gloves on, so no photos.
It was a good, challenging race. The perfect way to spend a day off from work.