Pageant Girls Run is a series that details the health and fitness journeys of women and girls in pageantry. I believe it is important to get and stay fit for the crown. Today I will review my experience at the 2019 Regions Superhero 5K.
It is 2019, and it is race season! Yay! Honestly, it is always race season. If you create it, the runners will come. Changes in the weather do not stop serious runners from making new personal records and collecting more bling. (Guilty) I had to make my own shift a few years ago to stop letting the weather dictate my running schedule. Even though I am very cold natured, I didn’t let the weather stop me from training for this race. I kicked off my 2019 race season with the Regions Superhero 5K. The Regions Superhero 5K took place on Saturday, February 9, 2019, at Railroad Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The Regions Superhero 5K is a part of the Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend. The 5K and the Kids Marathon take place on Saturday, and the half-marathon, marathon, and marathon relay take place on Sunday. I participated in the Marathon Relay a few years ago (when I was in better shape), but I decided this year I wanted to run the 5K. In accordance with the race theme, I decided to dress up in a Black Panther inspired costume (Thanks Wal-Mart for the $5 tee). I thought my costume was fitting because it is also Black History Month. Wakanda Forever, but I digress.
The past few days we had been dealing with bipolar weather in the great State of Alabama so I didn’t think it wouldn’t be too cold on race morning. Girl was I wrong! My whole body was freezing cold. I was so cold that my fingers were numb pretty much throughout the duration of the race. (I want to give a big shout out to Trak Shak for proving those gloves in our registrations bags because your girl forgot to bring her pair. You guys are the real MVPs.)
I embarked on this journey with two of my sorority sisters (Catrina and Krishula), and we successfully completed the 3.1 miles in spite of the unfavorable weather conditions. I am normally a competitive runner, and I am always looking for opportunities to beat my personal best, but I treated this race differently. Since I hadn’t seen my sorority sisters in over a year, I used this time to catch up, laugh, and just enjoy their company. We actually did more walking than running, but that is okay. The key is we FINISHED, and we got our exercise on.
After the race, we made the 1.1 mile walk to the Boutwell Auditorium to get our FREE chicken biscuits from Chick Fil A, visit the vendors, and attend the awards ceremony. We didn’t walk away with any awards, but that was okay because we enjoyed the experience. All in all, it was a good day.
If I ever decide to run this race next year, best believe I will not let the Alabama weather fool me ever again. It may be hot and sunny earlier in the week, but that does not mean that will be reality for the end of the week. Lesson learned.
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