Team Hippo!

On Friday, I joined hundreds of people in the 25th Annual Zoo Run, which is a relay race of two miles each for four people on your team. My team was Kerrie, Claire, Claire's dad, and me. And it was fun! I hadn't run all week because my leg had been bothering me, so it was a hard two miles since I was a little rusty, but it was still a fun night out! And best of all - we didn't come in last!!

Our team, affectionately called Team Hippo (we figured we should have an animal name since it was for the zoo, and before I had time to veto we were named Team Hippo), took on the hordes of people to gather our timing chip (which doubled as the hand-off piece and was attached to a velcro strap) and push our way to the start. Kerrie started us off, and was gone through the trees while I waited for her to come back and hand off to me. What was really surprising was a lot of the people there were really, really into the whole competition. I was surprised. I mean, it's the zoo run - not exactly a major event in the running world. But I guess those people are everywhere. I started to wonder if we were the only ones there just for fun.

Soon Kerrie approached the finish and handed off the chip to me, and off I went. The first part through Brackenridge smelled a whole lot like a monkey cage - I guess because of its proximity to the zoo. The ground was wet and the air was thick with humidity. I kept pace behind another lady, and we rounded our way down an alley and onto another stretch of road before hitting the paved trail through the park, which was really beautiful! I've never been through that part of Brackenridge, but it was nice. There were even some homeless guys sitting on a bench, cheering us on. I dodged lots of puddles, and fortunately didn't slip on any mud.

I was a little annoyed there weren't any mile markers. I do much better when I know where I'm at. And I didn't have my ipod on me because I wasn't sure if it would rain, and I didn't want to get it wet. I was hurting, but I refused to walk because I know I can run more than two miles and didn't want to give in. Soon we closed in on the finish, and I scanned the runners for Claire, who was next. I found her and handed off, gasping "Good luck!" to her and heading off the track, onto the grass for a walk to cool down.

Claire did great, and her dad finished us off. We gathered for water and fruit, but I couldn't, at that moment, stomach the thought of a hamburger, which they were serving. So we headed to our cars, and Claire and Kerrie and I met up with some others at Panera where we got in just before close and they gave us free cookies.

All in all, a great night of fun! I'd definitely do a relay again. It's just nice to be in it with a team. Go Team Hippo!