Do Life 5K Orlando Tour recap
Let me put it this way---WOW. SERIOUSLY. WOW. It was amazing!
Guys, really, if you were hesitant about going out and meeting Ben, Jed, and Pa--GO OUT THERE AND MEET THEM! I knew absolutely no one in real life when I met them today. I had friended/followed about 5 people or so (and if I left your name off the tag, I deeply apologize because I'm just getting an influx of new followers) beforehand so knew ya'll from the tumblr world. But to put your stories into real life is amazing. Being able to meet each and every one of you and being able to hear some of your stories in life and how you've come this far, is by far the best part of this 5K tour that the Do Life Movement is hosting.
I ran for a few with Kristene and Lindsay 1 (there were two on the tour so gotta differentiate) but it was too hot to go full throttle and since I was there for the socialization and meeting others, I decided to slow it down and ended up being able to run with Lindsay 2, Jocelyn, Holly, Rebecca, and Ben (like omg YES I RAN WITH BEN!). It's the greatest feeling to be able to run/walk/jog with people who are in their stages of losing weight and doing life. I think it's even more amazing to see the people behind you and in front of you who are on that same journey. To be among 30+ people who are in some stage of their life doing life is just about as good as it gets.
Clouds looked pretty threatening when I was driving over, but the cloud coverage worked pretty well while we were waiting for 10:15 to roll around (I was the 3rd person there after the Davis clan--it wasn't too hard to find once someone posted the physical address on the page). Got to chat a bit with the couple there before me, they were celebrating their 15th year of marriage! Hung out with Ben who was guarding the table while Pa and Jed were packing up orders to be shipped out--Jed road his bike to the post office, so it IS true that Jed does all the work. When more people started showing up it was really great to talk amongst everyone and realize just how far we've all come in our journey.
Had a cop take our group photo, very generous and kind bicycle cop that I guess rides the trail or something as part of his patrol area. Someone joked about the fact that we didn't have a permit (I believe a few of us went wide eyed and were thinking "SHUT UP" but it all worked out). And we were off. I started off right behind 3 girls and Ben with Kristene and Lindsay 1 (if my memory is correct). We jogged for a bit but as I said before, it was too hot so I slowed down and ended up with Lindsay 2, Jocelyn, Holly, Rebecca, and Ben for the majority of the 5K (well, Ben ditched us at the halfway point, so it was girl power for the rest of the way!). We talked, chatted about our lives, our experiences, and where we were with our fitness and weight loss. It was great hearing it and being able to relate to certain aspects of our lives overlapping one another.
We finished up the 5K just when it started to drizzle a bit outside--hooray for Florida skies not pouring down on us until AFTER the race. I went to my car to grab my 2nd water bottle and change from my Aesic running shoes to my Vibrams for the remainder of the afternoon. I haven't had a real opportunity to break them in besides around the apartment, so I figured driving and going to a restaurant would be alright enough to break them in, and I think it was. Followed a bunch of people to a place called 4 Rivers (long story short--had no clue where it was, saw @BenDoesLife behind me in the car but wasn't able to move over in time, ended up doing a U-Turn, getting lost, Holly and I stopped at a gas station to ask people where it was, and then we finally made it to the right place). It's a BBQ place in Winter Garden area, never been, never heard of it, it was alright. I'm not a huge BBQ fan but ended up with some pulled chicken, green beans, and sweet potato casserole (loved that the best). Was able to sit down and talk a bit with Jed before people started to leave and then Ben and Lawrence joined us at the table and we stayed until the end chatting.
The people I met today hold a dear place in my heart, for 4 short hours we were a group of runners doing life, living life, learning life, and growing with each other. For four hours we learned about each other, heard stories, met people from the blogsphere that we had only been following for days, weeks, months. But for those four hours we were a group of people uniting for the first time and did a pretty darn good job at it (if you ask me).
I already posted my claim to fame picture (thanks again Lawrence for taking it!--I apologize for not getting your name right the first time!) with Ben, Jed, and Pa. Mostly I socialized with Ben because Pa and Jed were working, but being able to sit down at the end and hear some about Ben and Jed was definitely worth it as well.
I have to say, after this Do Life 5K tour I feel great to be where I am today, to have the followers that I have, the support system that you guys give me, and to be able to be privileged enough to get out there and run. So thank you to all my followers, new and old, for following me in this journey. I wish you all the best in yours and look forward to reading, hearing, and supporting all about your stories!
--Some people that I really didn't get a chance to talk to during the 5K or after, but they should also be followed as well (some don't have tumblr so I'm RSS feeding them): Melanie, Carolina, Larissa, and Pasquale. --
(P.S. I apologize if I left anyone off the tag/remarks in my post, it was hard keeping up with all of the blog names! If you can add me, I'll add you back and then edit this post)
