I ran a couple of half marathons before having kids, and after that, I thought, “Yeah, I’m good — glad that’s out of my system!”
But I still enjoy running shorter races for a number of reasons: first and foremost, because I LOVE having my kids come watch, cheer, and be inspired to do this one day, too. Every time my four year old runs around outside, she says, “Cheer for me, Mom!” (Completely adorable!)
For the past few years, I settled into my comfort zone of running 10K races (6.2 miles) such as Village2Village in Mountain Brook and the Vulcan Run downtown, until some women at my church — fellow moms — put together relay teams this year for Birmingham’s Mercedes Marathon. I jumped at the chance to be back at the Mercedes (something I never thought I’d participate in again since I quit running long races).
I love the Mercedes race through downtown Birmingham, and here’s why:
- Roads are blocked off from traffic on race days and you get to run in the middle of the street. Road races are like the “luxurious wide lanes” Elaine from Seinfeld enjoys swerving all over when Kramer paints over the lane markers on his adopt-a-highway mile (Anyone remember that episode?! Just me? Ok, moving on . . .)
- You get a front-row seat to the complete history of the Magic City: the turn-of-the-century Avondale bungalows, the mills and warehouses, Kelly Ingram Park, the 16th Street Baptist Church, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, the historic Alabama Theater, and the Electra statue atop the Alabama Power Company building.
- The Southern hospitality of the energetic sign-holding spectators, cheering all the runners on as if they’d known us forever.
The best part of participating in the Mercedes relay was that it enabled me to still enjoy all the above, while only having to run a six-mile stretch. I could not have run the Mercedes without the other moms on my team. Let me repeat — I LITERALLY could not have run the marathon without my team (unless maybe someone was chasing me, and even then, let’s be real . . .) It was such a picture of being a team player, of depending on others, of competitively working together for a goal that we as moms don’t often get to do.
Come to find out, out of 34 relay teams, our team came in third place! How about that for some thirty-something moms?! It reminded me how much I love very large-participation races, and now I’m contemplating running a half marathon again. Have I lost my mind??
If you missed out on this year’s Mercedes race, no worries, there’s always next year — AND a new marathon is coming to Birmingham April 15, 2018 (BHM262). This race also includes the opportunity for relay teams, and all the proceeds go toward Magic Moments. So grab your mom friends, and just do it! I think Birmingham Moms Blog needs a team, am I right?
Birmingham has a vibrant running scene filled with some sort of race every weekend, it seems. If you’re new to running, have sat out for awhile, or just want some company while you run, consider getting a running coach such as Resolute Running in Homewood or joining in on one of Trak Shak’s many weekly group runs. It’s a great way to get in shape, meet other locals, and enjoy all the sites our beautiful city has to offer!
And, you might even have some realizations about parenting along the way . . .
