New Orleans Rebirth 5K

I'm not much of a runner. Actually, I am not anything of a runner. One of my mom's favorite stories from my childhood, one that she frequently tells, revolves around my refusal to run in first or second grade.

Apparently, we'd just had a discussion about saying no, about not doing things that we weren't comfortable doing even if an adult asked. I took it to heart and stamped my little patent-leather-shod foot in Mr. E's gym class. I refused. She got called to the school and tried to untangle the mess inside my head without bursting into laughter.

Of course, I don't remember any of this, but my mom wouldn't make it up and of her three kids, I doubt she mixed it up. I'm the only one who'd stand up to a man 30 or 40 years my senior for the sake of not running.

In my defense, I did have as-yet-undiagnosed asthma, triggered by sports. Running. I played soccer and wheezed half the game and the whole bike ride home. The same with basketball. Nobody wanted me on their teams and I couldn't blame them. I never learned how to run. How to breathe. How to pace myself. I still can't run to save my life and god forbid there's ever an occasion when it would save my life, running from an attacker. A bear. The altar.

Swimming was fine and I did that through college, with license to lifeguard under my belt... er, the strap of my suit. When I moved to Colorado, I took up hiking and even climbed to the top of Long's Peak, a 12-hour hike up one of the 58 "fourteeners" in the Rocky Mountains. These days, I walk: to work, from work, to the zoo, to Virginia, wherever my head and my legs take me, but I still don't run.

One would think that might keep me from joining a 5K. One would think that might keep me from joining a 5K with a marathoner-in-training, but we didn't need to finish together. And the New Orleans Rebirth 5K is raising money for relief and recovery efforts in the city of New Orleans.

I couldn't say no.

Of course, I did check out the site and the official name of the event: New Orleans Rebirth 5K Run/Walk, emphasis mine. No patent-leather-shod stomping. No need to refuse. I would gladly walk for the place that I loved. My mom would be proud.

New Orleans Rebirth 5K Run/Walk
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 09:00 AM
Oronoco Bay Park
Corner of Union and Pendleton
Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia

Local partner organizations and neighborhood association representatives from the New Orleans area will attend to display information about their organizations and talk with attendees about their efforts on the ground. Come and declare your support for the rebuilding of this unique city.

For those who need more of a run, such as marathoners-in-training, the Pacers Alexandria fun run group has planned a "10 Mile + 5K" training run prior to the race.


Tag: Washington DC NOLA Walking