I am a WonderGirl

So, here I was fighting a bit of a cold all last week. You know, sinus congestion, a lot of kleenux use at work (splurge on the kind with 'lotion' in it... your nose will thank you). It is approaching winter in Chicago. You know what that means? That means I wish I could hibernate... I'll reappear approximately just before WPS opening weekend kick off. Deal? So the Red Stars Director of Operations doesn't exactly dig that idea, but I dislike the cold that much. My friend Jennae LOVES the winter. She raves on and on about skiing and sledding and sweatshirts. No, no, and yup, still no. None of those items give me a glimmer of excitement. Not even a tiny twinge. Not even a 'oh, yay hot chocolate!' spark of excitement. Nothing. The winter brings me the joy of lack of oxygen on account of snot blockage and the subsequent headaches that come along with said oxygen minimization.

So, with that being said, the Girls on the Run WonderGirl 5k was coming up at Toyota Park this past weekend. It sounded like a great idea, minus the health malfunctions. But I decided with several members of staff taking part, it was something that I didn't want to pass up. So I set up my plastic tip jar at the front desk of our office and kindly accepted sponsorship donations so I could participate. Thanks to my generous coworkers 60% of my entrance fee was covered. Director of Operations, Amber Simons, earned presenting sponsor status with her $10 donation, so she earned the stomach-spot on the number I wore. Thanks Amber!

So the big morning rolls around. I put extra special effort into staying in Friday night and getting to sleep early (ok, if you know me, you know I'm lying, I always stay in Friday nights). I woke up feeling a bit morning-before-Christmas-ish and anticipatory. The breathe-rite strip I wore while sleeping totally worked! (I'll totally plug them here, they are amazing) I bundled up in my best snow-bunny gear I could find and set off.

Several of us arrived at Toyota Park around the same time, and I was highly amused (and jealous) by Assistant Coach Denise Reddy's extreme low temperature arctic gear.

So we bobbled around and bounced and I drank coffee in an attempt to ward off frost bite prior to the start of the 5k:

And then off we began! The beginning was a challenge to not stumble over people half your size (I never excelled at hurdles). There was a bit of an undertone of competitiveness seeping through the Red Stars staffers that were taking part. I spent the first mile trying to shake Denise and Marcia. Since they were talking about soccer the whole time I figured that would affect their breathing and give me an advantage which I totally took on.

Somewhere around mile 1.5 Denise caught up to me, challenging my attempt for team domination. She, herself, was being challenged by a 10 year old who runs 5k's in her sleep. So that added another complicated sidenote to my run. [Editor's note: this was a run for young girls, to build self-esteem and fulfill goals, not a competitive challenge]

Within the 3rd mile, Denise spotted Red Stars Director of Corporate Sponsorships Pat McNamara, and then insisted we pass him. As we begin to pick up the pace beyond my comfort zone, I said "leave me... go on... you can do it Denise," thinking she would leave me to lightly and comfortably drag my body across the finish line, without getting ill. She responded with, "no way, c'mon! you're going with me." So I mumbled something unintelligible, dug my head down, and thanked the sun and moon that the finish line was just another 100 yards away.

The only problem is that it wasn't. So after my full on sprint to catch up with Pat, I learned there was another lap to run all the way around the stadium. As we approached the back of the stadium I started looking for somewhere away from the kids that I might be able to hide in case my coffee came back up, which it did - halfway. I told my coworkers to leave me at the finish line.... dead on arrival. DNR. Do Not Resuscitate.

It was a long long cruel run around the stadium...with the shining beacon being the opening where we'd enter at the field level..... YES, almost done.

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! NOT DONE! Full lap around the field! On the verge of tears, I plugged on, pacing myself to not be ill on the pitch. All while contemplating that the fastest way to get between two points is a straight line, not a full lap around.

But this WonderGirl has a happy ending. Denise, Pat, and I crossed the finish line at the same time and held the torch up proud for the Red Stars Racing Team.

I made it! We made it!

A quick postrace huddle with our medals (because everyone is a winner here!) and then back home to thaw out. Yes, thaw.

Congrats to everybody that finished, or even attempted, this chilly race!