This was to be our last Y-Me 5K Breast Cancer Race/Walk before we move. My husband, Art would jog and we would walk with our granddaughter in her stroller. The weather forecast did say rain but we figured it could go north or south or dissipate. It didn't. It started as a drizzle and became heavier until "cats and dogs" would be an appropriate description. Monsoon? Hurricane? Typhoon? The high temperature was supposed to be 51 degrees but at 7:30 AM, we were no where near that.
We walked about a mile to Grant Park in Chicago and saw my husband off. We could not do the walk because it was too difficult to manage pushing the stroller and holding the umbrellas at the same time. Just standing at the finish line was a challenge as the winds swooped under the umbrellas.
Amazingly, Art's finish time was only a minute and a half slower than unusual. Maybe he was just trying to get done so we could all go home. He didn't realize he had passed the finish line because officials had to take the banner and time clock down due to the high winds. As we were returning home, winds knocked down a heavy sign right in front of us. That was a surprise.
Our granddaughter, protected by the plastic rain cover, snuggled up in her waterproof blanket cocoon and eating out of a snack cup watched us all in sublime comfort, even taking a nap...not waking until we had returned home.
My son-in-law had a substantial Mother's Day brunch waiting for us as we took showers to try to warm up. This was certainly an uncomfortable but a day to remember!
What a shame you couldn't do the walk yourself, but at least you managed to stay the course and support. The weather for this year's London Marathon was pretty horrendous too - torrential rain, hailstones and wind. That's rare, the London Marathon is usually lucky.
ReplyDeleteOh my! You guys have us beat. We, at least, did not have hailstones. The Y-Me was only 5 K. A Marathon with those conditions would be brutal!
ReplyDeleteCommendable way to spend Mother's Day-- Kudos to Art!!-- funny about him not realizing he had crossed the finish line, not funny about the weather-- but somehow running through the hardships somehow emphasizes the importance of the cause and the dedication of the runners!!
ReplyDeleteI'd say that was a mighty good effort despite the terrible weather! What a shame a day you'd looked forward to turned out to be so nasty, but it's definitely one you'll never forget.
ReplyDeleteKay...so sorry about the rain..the weather has left a bit to be desired this past weekend. Happy Mother's Day
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like despite the weather, you had an enjoyable time.
ReplyDeleteHopefully after the race you all just got warm and dry and lingered in one another's company for the remainder of the day. Happy Mother's Day to you.