Race #44 - Sugar Free 5K - Wilmington, DE - 20:35

Normally I wouldn't travel 90 minutes each way to run a little 5K, but since it was for a good cause, and I also got to see my daughter Leigh Ann. Leigh has been running since she started her second year at UDel and she requested I run this race with her. Bob's 50@50 is all about raising money for JDRF and this race was sponsored by many of the companies devoted to finding a cure. For those of you who don't know, Leigh was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was seven and has been dealing with it for the last 12 years. One way to keep it under control is to exercise which is another important factor for the 50@50.

The race started at 9am so it meant another early wake-up for me so the alarm was set at 5am which gave me about an hour for a shower, coffee and some food. I would get to Leigh's dorm at 7:45 and then we headed over to Wilmington which was 15 minutes away. When we arrived, we picked up our number and t-shirt and then took the customary 50@50 banner picture.

All of the vendor tables had to something to do with diabetes products or diabetes related issues. Leigh and I met John Schlee who worked for Medtronic which is the company we use for all of Leigh's pump supplies. John was also a runner and ran the race in a time of 22:56. John filled Leigh in about the latest updates on the line of Medtronics products.

The weather was perfect except for a slight breeze. The course took us out of the Christiana Care Center onto the roads then into Rochford park, which has a nice size hill. The other race I ran in Delaware in March also ran through the park so I knew I was dealing with that hill again. I pushed the pace and made an effort not to let anyone pass me as I tried to keep the leaders in sight. My plan was to run hard then double back to finish with Leigh. She was hoping to break 30 minutes and just missed by 4 seconds. She had to tie her shoes during the race so I guess she did not double knot them.

She was surprised that she came in first in her age group, but usually the 19 year olds are sleeping on a Saturday morning so sometimes you just need to show up. I knew I had a good chance to finish in the top 3 because the field was so small. I ran a good time so I was happy either way.

Afterwards Leigh and I headed back to Main street in Newark to grab breakfast at the The Post House. After filling up on pancakes and eggs, I said goodbye to Leigh and head back home. I will be back in Delaware in two weeks for parent weekend. I may sneak in another race if I can work it into our schedule.

Next up is the Army Ten Miler in Washington DC. I am meeting up with Brad Hunt and Dale Hoth. I have run a lot of good races this year but I think the ATM might be the best.

It is never to late to get in shape. Stop procrastinating, get out there.