My mother, my hero

Today's 5K was totally unlike any other I've ever run. I wasn't looking to PR. I wasn't looking to beat last year's race time. I wasn't looking to see how I compared to people in my new age bracket. Today was special because it was about momma.  

Back in 1999, my mom and I decided to run the Sunburst 5K together. That lasted about four weeks, until my mom seriously injured her hip, and we were sidelined. We weren't too upset about it, considering we'd never run past a mile in our training. 

We both stopped running for many years, until I picked it back up again in the summer of 2009. So, in March, when my mom casually mentioned that the 2013 Sunburst would fall on her 60th birthday, and that she was thinking about running it, I jumped at the chance to run with her. We found her a good 5K training program, my parents purchased a treadmill, and she was quite literally off and running! 

This morning, the weather looked nothing short of ominous, but mom was in good spirits as we drove to the race. Once there, we met up with my bestie Andrea, our high school friend Julie, and my friend Kaity, who just so happens to be the wedding photographer for both Andrea and my weddings! 

At 7:15, we were off! There's something so cool about running with thousands of other people. Mom did great -- we did a run/walk throughout the course, and mom did GREAT! Sunburst is one of my favorite races because of the ending through the tunnel into Notre Dame stadium and ending on the 50 yard line. Mom and I went running through the tunnel with smiles on our faces and crossed the finish line hand in hand! Fourteen years after our initial plan to run Sunburst, we completed our goal! 

And, her AMAZING finish time was 37:56, which is 6 minutes faster than she did in her training runs! SO, SO, SO proud of her! And so, so, so glad we got to do this together on her 60th birthday. My mom ROCKS! 

Happy Birthday, Mom! Here's to many more birthdays and many, many, many more races! 

Mom and daughter, in matching purple!