crzy4pooh
Member of WISH Racing Team
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2005
- Messages
- 676
Part 2 of the Dino Dash 3K (at our local zoo)
As Bill said, we got to the zoo with plenty of time to spare. We had to get our chips, feed Timmy, get bibs on everyone, and still had a few minutes before lining up. Once at the start, Bill moved up toward the middle. I had Timmy in the jogger, and Billy wogging with me, so we lined up at the end.
The first part of the course was on a dirt road that took us to the back entrance of the zoo. We were moving at a decent pace for us, although dodging all the puddles and muddy patches in the road with the crew was a bit challenging. Bill did lap us - he was coming out of the zoo as we were going in...
Once we got in, there were animals everywhere. The handlers had a number of them out right next to the course. I figured we weren't going to set any speed records
so we took our time and enjoyed chatting with the sloth, the parrot, the baby alligator, the deer that stuck his nose through the fence at us... you get the idea. Billy was having a blast stopping and meeting the animals, so I didn't push him to run until he was ready.
Oh, and the whole focus of the race was to showcase their new Planet Dinosaur exhibit. That was awesome!!!! They had a bunch of lifesize dinosaurs that moved their heads and made noises, and one even dribbled water out of its mouth as it was "drinking" (that was Billy's favorite one). We spent way too much time in that exhibit!
We headed out of the zoo and saw Bill waiting for us (he had already finished and was coming back for Billy). The two ran on ahead while Timmy and I walked quickly. Bill and Billy were just a bit ahead of us, and I got to cheer Billy on at the last little turn around on the main road. Once I got past the turnaround, I spotted a very sweet longtime friend (she was actually my mentor teacher when I started teaching, and was also my bridesmaid) that I hadn't seen in a couple years. She was walking back to her car while I was still trying to finish.
Of course I had to stop and chat with her and catch up for a couple minutes, and introduce her to Timmy. So, after we set up a lunch date, I decided to meander to the finish...
Bill and Billy were waiting for me as I crossed the line at a whopping 36+ minutes. 
The funny part was that with all the stopping, I didn't finish last - there was another group of ladies that we had been chatting with in the zoo that was also stopping at each animal exhibit. Another funny - this very nice older gentleman that came in last place actually finished FIRST in his age group (he was 76.)
All in all, it was a great race! Billy had a wonderful time for his first "long" race (not a kid's race), and I got to not only enjoy the zoo with my boys, but also catch up with an old friend. There will be other races to work on speed and PR's, but this one was definitely very special.
--Lynnda
As Bill said, we got to the zoo with plenty of time to spare. We had to get our chips, feed Timmy, get bibs on everyone, and still had a few minutes before lining up. Once at the start, Bill moved up toward the middle. I had Timmy in the jogger, and Billy wogging with me, so we lined up at the end.
The first part of the course was on a dirt road that took us to the back entrance of the zoo. We were moving at a decent pace for us, although dodging all the puddles and muddy patches in the road with the crew was a bit challenging. Bill did lap us - he was coming out of the zoo as we were going in...
Once we got in, there were animals everywhere. The handlers had a number of them out right next to the course. I figured we weren't going to set any speed records
so we took our time and enjoyed chatting with the sloth, the parrot, the baby alligator, the deer that stuck his nose through the fence at us... you get the idea. Billy was having a blast stopping and meeting the animals, so I didn't push him to run until he was ready.Oh, and the whole focus of the race was to showcase their new Planet Dinosaur exhibit. That was awesome!!!! They had a bunch of lifesize dinosaurs that moved their heads and made noises, and one even dribbled water out of its mouth as it was "drinking" (that was Billy's favorite one). We spent way too much time in that exhibit!
We headed out of the zoo and saw Bill waiting for us (he had already finished and was coming back for Billy). The two ran on ahead while Timmy and I walked quickly. Bill and Billy were just a bit ahead of us, and I got to cheer Billy on at the last little turn around on the main road. Once I got past the turnaround, I spotted a very sweet longtime friend (she was actually my mentor teacher when I started teaching, and was also my bridesmaid) that I hadn't seen in a couple years. She was walking back to her car while I was still trying to finish.
Of course I had to stop and chat with her and catch up for a couple minutes, and introduce her to Timmy. So, after we set up a lunch date, I decided to meander to the finish... Bill and Billy were waiting for me as I crossed the line at a whopping 36+ minutes. The funny part was that with all the stopping, I didn't finish last - there was another group of ladies that we had been chatting with in the zoo that was also stopping at each animal exhibit. Another funny - this very nice older gentleman that came in last place actually finished FIRST in his age group (he was 76.)
All in all, it was a great race! Billy had a wonderful time for his first "long" race (not a kid's race), and I got to not only enjoy the zoo with my boys, but also catch up with an old friend. There will be other races to work on speed and PR's, but this one was definitely very special.
--Lynnda
I haven't been that fast in a long time.
)
