A worthy cause... Today was the 8th Annual NC Triangle Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure. I got up bright and early at 6:00 a.m. to pick up a friend and drive to Raleigh for the 8:00 starting gun. I had a minor back injury about a month ago, so I wasn't sure I'd be doing anything but walking this year, but I tried to start training about three weeks ago regardless, just to see what I could do. I finished the 5K (~3.2 mile) race in 32:20, which is a personal best time for me. My eventual goal is under 30 minutes, or an average 10 minute mile.

I can't even begin to express how it feels to go to this event every year. There are so many people there. More than 17,000 people registered for the race this year, and many more were there today to cheer people on and support their families and friends. Most moving, of course, are the survivors of breast cancer. A girl who ran near me, about age 13, had a sign on her back saying that she was racing in memory of her mother. Another survivor crossed the finish line hand in hand with her two adult daughters, both wearing signs honoring their mother. In the co-ed 5K, the first man finished in under 15 minutes, which is absolutely phenomenal. The second woman to finish was a 14-year-old former student of the middle school on whose team I raced. From small children to very old men and women, so many people out to show their support and raise money for research and education about breast cancer. It is truly one of the most moving things I have ever experienced. If you haven't been to one, go. If you can't run it, walk. If you'd rather sleep in, give.

Today's Weather: overcast and cool. great weather for a race!
Song going through my head: The theme music from Baldur's Gate. I've spent way too much time playing mindless computer games today.  ¶ 10:19 PM