There's no crying in 5Ks

They say that the hardest part of a run is the 10 steps to your front door.

I had the hardest time getting out of the house on Saturday morning to go run a 5k.

I was heading out to run the first in the 5-race Summer Series sponsored by the Arizona Road Racers. The series is designed to keep runners training through the hot summer. In northern climates, it's a challenge to run through the winter.

For a variety of reasons, I've not been running much this year. Running helps me deal with stress and makes it easier to cope with almost anything the day will bring. I needed to get out to the kickoff of the Summer Series. I needed to run again.

But it was tough. The alarm went off at 5:30 a.m. and I got up to get ready. But my mind came up with lots of reasons to stay home. I was this close to sitting down on the couch and finding a movie to sink into.

But I got out. And it was perfect.


The Summer Series is special because it is free for kids. That brings out school track teams and families. These cute little kids were out on the course with their own timing chips on their tiny shoes.

The little guy with his dad was so proud to walk across the finish line on his own steam.


And then there was this little guy with his mom was still listening to that part of his brain that told him he didn't want to be there. He looked a lot like I felt a few hours before. Hang in there, little guy.


Robin, Tempe