Running Through the Lavender

Saturday morning, Camille, Rachael and I, went to Mona to run a 5K through the lavender fields.

( This picture taken off the website)

(I use the word “run” very loosely) I felt like I had prepared myself for this race. I wanted to do a good job since our running time will be posted on the website. I got plenty of rest last night, got up early to stretch and get warmed up.

Knowing that it’s easier to run with a “beat” I asked my 18-year-old son, Jacob, if I could borrow his Zune. Sitting in the passenger seat on the way to Mona, I had some time to figure out the Zune and see if there were any songs I would want to listen to as I “ran”. Colonel Claypool’s bucket of Bernie Brains… ahhh…. no thanks, Murder by Death, - I think I’ll take a rain check. Then I found The Beatles, Cake, and Dave Matthews Band. I put them on a play list, thinking in my mind how much easier it will be to run to songs that have a good beat and that I actually know!
We arrived in time to get a lovely shirt and our numbers. Then it was off to the restroom, drink some more water, stretch and to the starting line.

We were informed that since there were about 1,000 people who signed up, we would start the race 15 minutes later. We walked around to get more warmed up and I was feeling good. The guy with the megaphone said that all serious runners were to move to the front of the line, the casual runners move back. I moved a little closer to the front, after all, who wants to be at the end of a thousand person line when you know you want to have a good running time!

I put in my ear buds, ready for some music, and the gun went off. I hit play and started to run…Imagine my surprise when I heard Spanish music! I had no idea how that happened (Jacob later informed me that it came with the Zune) and decided to figure out how to get back to my play list. People were passing me and I realized I needed to forget the Zune and kick it up a notch or two. So I ran the whole race listening to Spanish music. It had a decent beat but I wasn’t emotionally tied to it.
I have a question. Isn’t lavender supposed to be relaxing and soothing? How can I run quickly through the lavender when I’m so relaxed? That must be the reason so many people finished before me! I thought in my mind, as I was panting, sweating, and barely moving down the home stretch, that maybe my time won’t be so bad when I’m put in with my age group! When I got the card with my time, I read that my age group is 40 – 99! Quite a span!
Oh well, we all had a great time, it was good exercise, the lavender was gorgeous and the weather was perfect. What more could I ask for? (Maybe a younger bladder - but that's another story.)