NOT a Race Recap, and I'm Okay With It

Last Sunday I was registered for The Good Life Race in Oak Park.  I was pretty excited for the race, as it's for a great cause and it has been honored by the Chicago Area Runner's Association (CARA) as the "Race of the Year" - leading me to believe it would be a great experience.  I even registered months in advance to secure the date on my calendar.  After missing the Shamrock Shuffle due to illness, I was more than ready for another race.

But when Sunday came 'round, I didn't run.

Turns out, I had my dates a little mixed up, and April 12th was actually the first day of my soccer league.  Due to various job and time commitments, I haven't been able to play with my old team in almost a year, and I definitely did not want to miss the first game of the season!  Coincidentally, the league happens to be in Oak Park, and our usual field is right across the street from the Good Life Race's starting line.  With an 8am game and a 9:10am race start, I thought maybe I could make both work.

To the race's credit, they were

VERY organized and efficient!

Then I showed up at 7:30am to pick up my packet - and found they had no record of my registration, leading to a 20 minute jumble to get me REregistered.  During the confusion, I learned that my soccer game would be on the alternate field, 10 minutes away.  Once we had my registration sorted, I grabbed my bib and a shirt (a medium that ended up being absolutely teensy) and literally ran out the door.  I pulled up to the field with just enough time to throw on my gear and step on the field for the starting whistle.

Come halftime, my team had no subs and was down 0-1 to a big rival.  It was decision making time.  After the debacle with my registration, and the excitement of the first half, I decided to finish the game.  We ended up losing 0-3, but I think staying was absolutely the right thing.  Y'see, I missed my team and the way playing with such a talented group of adults made me feel.  No lonely 5k run was going to help bolster me up so much after the layoff a few days prior.  And at the end of the day, winning didn't matter.  I was out doing something I love, with great people, on a beautiful day.  The race would have been good, but the soccer was everything I needed.

Phenoh review coming soon!

If you're interested in hearing more about The Good Life Race, you can check out race recaps from This Hobbit Runs or Melly's Musings.  Have you ever had a day when you just had to do what made you smile?