I Will Survive! [onefiveoneeighteight]

Wednesday March 14: Three Days Before

I woke up

and knew it was going to be a good day.

 

At lunch we had strawberries! 

(obviously we had other things too...but the strawberries were most exciting.)

I found a really funny strawberry that looked like a finger.

 

After lunch, a group of us went to a community center-type building

where there was a "runner's expo."  

 

There we were given numbers...

While we were waiting for the taxi-vans to take us back to the center,

 it was really windy and cold so we huddled together as a group to keep warm. 

 Friday March 16: The Day Of

I've never really been much of a runner, 

but somehow I was talked into signing up for

 The Jerusalem 10k.

We were out the door by 7:30 a.m.

(On the way to the race.)

 

 

(Walking the rest of the way to the start since the roads were closed.)

Of course there were plenty of men going to the race in their Kippot!

("kippot"= plural form of kippa)

There were even soldiers prepping for the race!

 I probably saw at least 30 men with their baby shorts and huge guns strapped around their necks.

I'm pretty sure they didn't actually run with the guns...

but I never saw them take them off so I guess I can't be sure. haha.
 

BEFORE THE RACE:

 

AFTER THE RACE:

Well..I DID IT! 

My goal was to not stop the whole time and I actually made my goal! 

Granted, there were times that my jogging was slower than Remi the snail's crawling, 

but I didn't stop! 

(Even on the craaazy hills that I thought were going to be the death of me.) 

One of the more exciting parts of the race was when it started hailing! 

It was slightly painful to be hit with little ice balls coming out of the sky

but mostly it was hilarious.

(During the race the weather went from rainy to windy to sunny to hailing, 

and then a mix of all of those.)

Once back home, I looked and felt quite frazzled, 

but I was pretty dang proud of that cheapy medal around my neck.

OH, and ...did I actually did listen to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor whilst running...?
Why yes, yes I did! 

 Oh what a life I live.

:)