What a change of pace it was to run in the Button Down Dash 5K with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in Suwanee, Georgia today! I have not officially run a 5K in nearly 40 years since my early teens. When I saw that the Gwinnett Chamber was hosting a 5K, I decided that it might be fun to get out and do something different for a change – and I’m so happy that I did!
Today, at the Button Down Dash 5K, I went to participate, meet people, and have some fun. It was so refreshing to get out of the house, drive out to Suwanee early in the morning on Saturday with no traffic (!), and take part in this race. Of course, it was so humid that I was already hot and sweaty even before the race began, but that is to be expected with a run in the middle of summer in Georgia! I am not a true runner, but instead, more of a jogger/walker. In my younger days, I would do a sprint, hurdle, or race walk event (as well as my usual field events), but I was never a distance runner, per se. Certainly, I could run distance, but not fast.
I am not a person who generally allows myself to experience much stress, but there have been some huge changes in one of my work roles recently that have greatly increased my stress level, causing me to begin restructuring my mental approach to my work. I love my work, but there are some things associated with one of my roles that are now very different, and therefore, challenging to deal with. Therefore, this was another reason that it was so great to get out and run today – it was a big stress reliever and gave me some mental uplift.
Along the race route, I found that one particular lady and I were about the same pace. In the last one-third or so of the course, I caught up with her and we struck up a great conversation for the remainder of the distance. I truly needed that! She is a professor at Georgia Gwinnett College, and that is where my son goes to school. It was nice to relate with someone on a similar intellectual level. We exchanged contact information and are planning to go walking together with a small group of ladies on occasion. I am not looking for any special favors, but just some camaraderie and connection. Additionally, I would also guess that the contingent of runners representing the college was probably the largest corporate group at the event today.
Staying for the Awards Ceremony, I enjoyed watching the top three runners in each age and gender category receive their medals. Nick Masino, the Chamber’s President and Chief Executive Officer, recognized a young boy who was one of the medal winners, and asked him to tell a joke to the audience. It was cute because he did not immediately know a joke to share, but was called up again later to share one.
Jokes can be uplifting and fun, so that also got me thinking of one that my son shared with me. With my boldness, I got up and let Masino know I had a joke to tell, as well. So, a few minutes later, I had my opportunity to share a teacher joke and put in a plug for GGC!
I am going to try to make running (jogging/walking) in the Button Down Dash 5K an annual tradition. Even though I had to awaken at 5:30 AM on my day off to get to a race early in the morning in the heat and humidity of summer, it was fun, enjoyable, and extremely worthwhile for me for many reasons. I ended up placing in the last one-fourth of the competition of more than 400 runners, but I was never in it to win it – only to participate, meet people, and have some fun. That’s what I did and I’m so happy that I went!
Note: All of the views in this post are my own, and are not reflective of any other individual or business.
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