Pink on Parade 5k

My first race as a Florida resident was so much fun! I don't think I was even fully unpacked when my friend, Jenny, asked if I wanted to join her team for the Pink on Parade 5k. I knew I wanted to find a race that supported breast cancer awareness since I wouldn't be able to do Race for the Cure anymore and this was a great one to participate in.

On race morning Jenny and I met in Celebration where the race was being held. Once meeting up, we walked a short distance to meet the rest of her team. There was a lot of excitement in the air and it helped loosen me up. I wasn't worried about anything with this race as far as time and certainly not distance, but because it was a new thing, I was a little anxious. Jenny's teammates were all so kinda and welcoming. We got a group picture before everyone was called to the start line.

This was a very low key race and I loved every minute of it!

I had no time goal. I just wanted to run a casual race with Jenny. The course goes through the town of Celebration. Jenny used to live there and I have run a few times when I have visited. It's an adorable town that, at times, makes me feel like I'm on a movie set! I was so glad to run there again. Jenny wasn't sure how well she would be able to run because she has taken some time off so she said that she would like to make it at least a mile and then possibly do some form of intervals after that.

Shortly after we reached 1 mile I asked how she was doing and she said she was good to continue running. I checked a couple other times and she still insisted that she was good. At one point said she may not be able to talk but she was not ready to walk. The closer we got the more I knew Jenny would not walk even if she was really struggling. I tried to keep the conversation going to distract her from anything she may be feeling and the next thing I knew we were at the 3 mile mark. Jenny picked up the pace a bit at that point and we had a strong finish.

Finish Time~ 32:12

All Female Place~ 69/1011

We received our beautiful medals and made our way out of the finisher's chute. We hung around for a little bit after finishing, took some pictures and talked with some of her team members for a little while. 

Since we both had driven close to an hour to get to Celebration and love it there so much, we decided to stay and have some breakfast before heading home. Breakfast led to a long walk on the trails before finally admitting that we should both get home to our families. :) Everyone should spend a little extra time around Celebration post race. It's a pretty great place! 

This was a well organized and fun race. I am definitely looking forward to running it again next year!