Walk in the Wild 5K 2011

4th race in 2011: 2/19/2011, Walk in the Wild 5K at Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix, AZ.

I found another race for the LCK Cross Country team. Though the ARR race was free, the transportation cost tapped out our measly budget. This time the kids had to pay for the race. The entry fee was only $10 for children and it included admission to the zoo after the race so a sweet deal! I arranged for parents to drop off the kids at the Zoo and asked another teacher to help chaperone the group. I signed up for this race even though my foot problem from the previous Saturday was worsening instead of improving. I ran/walked about 7.5 miles during the week but my foot hurt pretty good when running. :(

It was another chilly, dark morning to start a race, with the added threat of rain. Seven (7) students and I met in front of the rabbit's statue by the School Entrance, with plenty of time before the start. I had picked up the T-shirts and race bibs a couple of days before. That made it easier -- no waiting in line! So Elisa (parent), Melissa (teacher) and I attached race bibs to front of shirts. This race was untimed so no messing with timing chips. Elisa took a few pictures of the team and then we made our way to the start line. There were lots of parents and children at this race and we missed our chance to get closer to the front of the line.

We took off and the course was narrow at the beginning. The course included rolling hills around the zoo but the inclines were manageable in most spots. As usual the students stopped to walk often. I started out with the slower kids then ran ahead and caught up with Christopher and Denilson, the faster ones. When those 2 stopped to walk, I went back to run/walk with the second group and repeated this pattern several times. We had to run the first leg 2 times so that was a little boring for me. We loved running through the zoo, past the monkeys, lions, tiger, camels, giraffes and more! During the last leg, as we were coming around a turn, with maybe 0.25 miles to the finish line, I could hear and see the Finish Line Party so I encouraged Christopher and Denilson to run it in. We did but Denilson ran out of steam so Christopher and I crossed the finish line together, 7 minutes faster than his first race! Denilson crossed the line about a minute later. Then I ran back up the hill to meet the second group and run in with them. This second group is very social and was more interested in talking and walking than running. We indulged in the yummy fruit and snacks and also watched other people finish the race.

Only bad part: my foot hurt during the entire race so I knew I was going to have to take a break for at least a few days. :s Luckily no race planned for 5 weeks; I was hoping for a quick recovery....

We enjoyed the zoo for another hour and a half. Joshua took a camel ride for $5. Another fun day for all! Next race...ARR South Mountain Classic 5K in late March! :)