Celebration! White Rock 5k race

Last Thursday I ran the inaugural Celebration! White Rock 5k race to benefit the White Rock Lake Conservancy. I was the only costumed runner in attendance, a first for me. I ran in galaxy tights and a blue and purple tutu in honor of SELF Magazine's #tutugate snafu and got a shout-out in the race report, another first.

Serious runner

Yet another first: nowhere to fasten my D-tag timing chip. They're designed to thread through shoe laces, though I always wear Vibram FiveFingers for running, most of which have a velcro strap that does the job. That day's shoes did not, so I had to get creative: searching my car for twine and elastic to fit my ankle and settling for carefully safety pinning the tag to my shoe without stabbing myself. It's a good thing I arrived very early with plenty of time to spare.

My only complaint about this event is that the festival and water were at the top of the Winfrey Point hill and the Start/Finish line at the bottom, so I had to hike uphill in my exhaustion, near to puking, and search for buckets of water hidden around the festival area. Once rehydrated, I forgot all my frustrations at the offer of free barbecue sliders and full-size bottles of Powerade. Way to go, event sponsors!

My chip time was 38:42.

The weather was pleasant if a little on the warm side, and the wind along the lake was a bit fierce. I really enjoy training at White Rock Lake and am grateful for the opportunity to support this organization. I look forward to running in this event again next year.