15s 5k: Friends, Running, & Baseball

Sunday, July 31st was a great day and one I won’t soon forget.  It all started a couple of months ago when a friend asked me to participate in 15s 5k with her.  This race, started by Minnesota Twin Glen Perkins (#15) and his wife, is a benefit for PrairieCare Child & Family Fund.  Since I love running, baseball, and it was for a great cause, I eagerly signed up.  I soon learned another friend was doing it as well, so the three of us made plans for Sunday.  We were excited for the run, but had no idea what great things were in store for us that morning!  

The sun was shining and a perfect summer day was beginning as we arrived at the starting line around 7:30am.  The race began at Mariucci Arena on the University of Minnesota campus.  As runners began to gather, we had time to stretch and hydrate before the singing of the Star Spangled Banner.  My friends and I had decided to each run our own race and find each other at the finish, so we found our respective spots in the corral and listened to Glen Perkins deliver a short message.  After that, he sounded the air horns to start the race and we were off!

This event was not chip-timed, and I unexpectedly ended up enjoying that aspect of it.  Instead of focusing on my pace and worrying about my finish time, I just took in the scenery as we wound through the streets of Minneapolis heading towards Target Field.  There were a few spectators out, but it was fairly quiet along the course for the most part.  The last few races, I’ve found myself appreciating the police officers staged along the route, re-directing traffic and ensuring we have a safe event.  I wondered how they felt about being assigned road race detail for the morning.  Was it a welcome change from their normal routine or would they rather be solving crimes?  As you can see, it’s easy for my mind to wander when I’m running.  Anyway, back to the race.  This being my second 5k in the past two weeks, after a long absence from this race distance, I did try and push myself out of my comfort zone and maintain a somewhat faster pace even though only I would know my finish time.  For once, I managed to run a fairly straight path and so my Garmin was on track with the mile markers. This was definitely an advantage, and it also meant I knew precisely how much farther I had to go.

As we made our final turn and my watch read 2.5 miles, my adrenaline began pumping even faster as I knew we were nearing the finish.  And not just any old finish line, but the finish line on Target Field!  The stadium grew closer and closer and my heartbeat quickened.  We were in a large, open lot and I saw huge doors through which we’d enter the stadium. Finally, I could see the green turf, the warning track, and Twins Mascot TC Bear.  I was there!  I was on Target Field!  And then I did something I didn’t even knew I could do.  I sprinted.  Yes, me!  I sprinted!  I even passed another runner right before the finish line.  If only every run could finish in the most beautiful ballpark in the country, how many PRs would I set?!  It was truly amazing to view the stadium from that vantage point. I had been on the field previously, but only for a brief time.  This day, I took time to soak it up and I loved every second of it.

I made my way up the steps and on to the plaza where I received my finisher medal from Glen Perkins.  I exchanged pleasantries with an All Star; that was a pretty neat moment!  I then grabbed a water and some food and started looking for my friends.  As I was searching the crowd for them, I noticed several tall, athletic figures making their way onto the same plaza.  I quickly realized it was Joe Mauer, Trevor Plouffe, and Taylor Rodgers.  To say I was excited was an understatement.  I knew Glen Perkins would attend the event that bore his name, but I had no idea that his teammates would show up, and most notably Minnesota’s own Joe Mauer.  Luckily, I spotted one of my girlfriends and she and I got in line to have our picture taken with Mauer.  While in line, we spotted our other friend and when we informed her what we were doing, she was pretty ecstatic herself!  As we got closer to the front of the line, I was nervous.  I had just run a sweaty 5k and probably didn’t smell all that great, but I was not going to miss out on this opportunity.  Then, we finally reached the front and our turn had arrived.  We got our medals autographed, had our photo snapped, and thanked Joe for being there.  He was every bit as kind as I knew he would be.  It was a fantastic moment.  After that, we headed towards the line for Trevor Plouffe and then Glen Perkins.  We were all pretty in awe and so pleased with the unexpected surprise the 5k presented us.

With autographs and pictures in hand, we found a place to sit down for a brief moment.  We enjoyed some refreshments while listening to GB Leighton on the Target Field plaza.  We could have stayed all day, basking in the joy of our running accomplishment and celebrity encounters. However, we needed to shower.  Afterall, we were also attending that day’s afternoon game.  So, three grown women, smiling ear-to-ear, walked home reliving the events of that morning.

Friends + Running + Baseball = Life Is GREAT!