Waaaaay back in 2011 I participated in the Hope in Motion walk with a team from my job. I always knew about the 5k run that took place before the race, but never thought I could do it. During the walk I told my mom and friend that we would run the race the next year. Guess what, we did! This race was my first official timed 5k. I wouldn't say that I was totally on board with running after that race (in fact, it took a few more years), but this race will always hold a special place in my heart. I also ran the race in 2012 and 2013. In 2014 they added a 10k option, which I happily signed up for, and I also ran the 10k this year.

This is by far my absolute favorite local race. When I say local, I really mean local. The race start is about a 5-10 minute drive from my house, bib pick-up the day before the race took approximately 2 minutes, and I run past my house on the race route. More importantly this race, which celebrated its 20th anniversary on Sunday, helps to raise funds for the Bennett Cancer Center. Even better, 100% of the funds raised through Hope in Motion go to the Bennett Cancer Center to provide free programs for their patients. So far the event has raised over $800,000 and they have a goal to raise $1 million. I personally know cancer survivors that have received treatment at the Bennett Cancer Center and I know that it's a great facility with caring doctors and nurses. I love this race and all that it stands for and I will always make an effort to participate.

As I mentioned before, bib pick-up was easy breezy - we were in and out in two minutes.

Before I knew it, we were off! My mom race the 5k race and had a good time. The great thing about this race is that I know the route very well. I know where the inclines and hills are, etc, which made it a little easier to pace myself. My legs didn't feel 100% before the race (I'm blaming this on the #RWRunStreak) so I knew I probably wouldn't get a PR. After the second mile, I knew I wouldn't PR, so I just tried to keep a steady pace. Shortly after mile 2, I ran into a friend on the course. Once he started walking I tapped him on the shoulder and waved for him to run with me. Secretly I wanted to pace him to the end of his race (he was doing the 5k). We ran all the way to the finish for him and then I veered to the left for the 10k turn off (The 10k is basically two loops of the 5k course). After I finished the race, I found my friend and he told me that he got a PR by 2 minutes. Score! If I couldn't PR, at least I could help push someone else to a PR.

The second half of the race was much like the first. The 10K is based two loops of the 5K route. Just keep a steady pace and keep moving. Unfortunately I had to stop to tie my shoelaces on both sneakers and then later on I had to walk for about a minute up one of the steeper hills. I kind of hate to take a walk break for a 10k, but my legs were just shot so I didn't have a choice.

All in all it was a decent race. We had really great weather with no humidity. There were plenty of water stations and mile markers on the course. The volunteers were also great and offered a lot of crowd support. After the race they had tons of yummy options - bagels, orange slices, apples, fruit bars from Trader Joe's and water. In the same general area, they also had a mini petting zoo. I refrained myself petting any of the animals because I would have wanted to take one home with me :) Right next to the food they had a rock climbing wall. It looked like fun but I didn't have time to try it since I had to meet friends and co-workers to participate in the 3-mile walk.

I always participate in the walk after the race. This year the walk had over 4,000 people. People do the walk for different reasons - some people walk in honor of loved ones that have passed away from cancer, others walk to support a loved one currently battling cancer and some walk solely to support the cause. It's a beautiful thing to see so many people walking to raise money for cancer research.

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