Inaugural "Run for Their Lives" 5K in Fultondale, Alabama

The North Jefferson Women's Center hosted its inaugural "Run for Their Lives" 5K and 1 mile Fun Run on Saturday, June 2, at Black Creek Park in Fultondale. I was one of about a hundred or so participates to run the events, a turnout that I think the hosts were pleased with. The North Jefferson Women's Center is one of only a couple of crisis pregnancy centers in the Birmingham area, and is "committed to providing compassionate counsel, accurate information, and practical help to women, men, and families facing unplanned pregnancies in a safe, non-judgmental and caring environment."

Lined up and listening to instructions at the "Run for Their Lives" at Black Creek Park

Now as for the race, it ended up being a cluster of follies for me. I was determined to set a PR, which I did; I was hoping to finish with a sub-7:00 pace, but came in at a 7:08 pace. Now my actual finish time and my official finish time have a disparity of about 80 seconds, because I managed to miss the Finish chute, which wasn't well marked, and continue on my way until I hit 3.10 miles according to my watch and realized something was amiss; so actually, I finished in 22:08, but not officially. But the foolishness doesn't end there. 

Despite being 30 years old, I managed to finish first among those aged 60+. Because I forgot to fill out my age on the registration sheet, the computer marked me as 99, by default. The real shame of it is that had I put down my age, I would have finished first in my actual age group and walked away with a medal. Unofficially, I finished fifth overall, but because of missing the finish line, my official finish was sixth. Like I said, a cluster of follies.