Finishing race all that matters in 5k run

I’m not sure what most people think of when they are at the dentist. As I was sitting in the chair last week, I thought back to last summer when my dad and I were supposed to run a 5K. Our plans were ruined when I had my wisdom teeth taken out a few days before the race.

Since it was about this time last year I had my wisdom teeth removed, I started wondering when the race was. As luck would have it, the race would be happening in two days.

When my dad came home from work that evening, I sprang the news on him — we were going to run the race. Unless, of course, he wasn’t willing.

On race day, I thought about forgetting the whole thing and sleeping in. The 6 a.m. wake-up call came too early after a late night out. As I hit the snooze button, I thought about how disappointed my dad would be and how much I had been looking forward to it. I turned off my alarm and rolled out of bed. It was going to be a long day, but at least I would have accomplished something I always wanted to do.

As we registered for the race, I started getting nervous. I’m not a fast runner and it was going to be my first race. Even though my dad ran in the race several times before, it was his first race in a few years. Neither of us seemed to be too prepared for the 5K that was ahead of us.

My dad has always been a runner, so I felt like I was slowing him down. He didn’t complain when I said I needed to walk. Instead of trying to race against each other, we kept the same pace, crossed all the checkpoints at the same time and finished with the exact time.

It wasn’t easy. After the first half mile, I was beginning to doubt my sanity for wanting to enter. It seemed like every runner in the 5K portion of the race passed us. I felt even worse when the 15K runners passed us like we were standing still.

Two things kept me going when I felt like giving up: my dad staying optimistic and saying that we were doing well and the people standing on the sidewalks cheering us on.

Knowing that we still did a good job, even if we were the last ones, was satisfying enough for me to push through to the end.

As we neared the finish line, I asked my dad if we could we raise our arms (like first place runners sometimes do) as we crossed the finish line. We probably looked goofy, but as they said our race numbers and time over the loudspeaker, I felt amazing. We both ended up finishing last in our age division, but it doesn’t matter.

Bottom line: We entered the race and finished, and although I expected it to take us an hour before we crossed the finish line, it took less than 45 minutes and as of now, we plan on entering it again next summer.

Even though summer is only halfway through, running the 5K with my dad will probably be one of the highlights — which made the 6 a.m. wake-up call more than worth my while.

• Fri 19th
  • Children's Art Showcase
    
    All day
  • BFA Thesis Exhibition : Megan Sistachs
    
    starts at 7:00pm
  • March Magic Hoopfest
    
    starts at 11:00am
• Sat 20th
  • Children's Art Showcase
    
    All day
  • March Magic Hoopfest
    
    starts at 11:00am
  • Sounds of Relief: Haiti Fundraiser
    
    starts at 6:00pm
• Sun 21st
  • Children's Art Showcase
    
    All day
  • Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
    
    starts at 3:00pm
  • Open Jam at The Green Door
    
    starts at 9:30pm
• Mon 22nd
  • Children's Art Showcase
    
    All day
  • Open Jam at The Green Door
    
    starts at 9:30pm
  • BFA Thesis Exhibition : Meghan Colson
    
    starts at 7:00pm

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Photo courtesy of Wharton Center /

Performers in the traveling professional group Nrityagram perform their tradItional Indian dances.

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