My neighbor and I ran the Hope for the Hungry 5K in (evil) Libertyville, Illinois today. I got an email about this race last week and asked my neighbor if he wanted to run it, because the proceeds directly go towards providing food and an education for children in Haiti, and he is from Haiti (plus, we had been running a bit together, and I thought he was ready for a 5K). Have you heard much about the hunger problem in Haiti? It’s something I’ve heard quite a bit about in the news. It’s estimated that 1 in 4 Haitians never get enough to eat, and are hungry all the time. The event organizer talked to us today about children who are so hungry they pass out in class or on the way to school. Many people resort to eating mud cakes.
This all makes me very very sad. I think about how I live in a nation where so many people OVEREAT and indulge, and how there are people all over the world struggling to get enough to eat to make it through the day. The politics of it all are way over my head. I wish there was a clear-cut solution. I know that today, I am reminded to be grateful for what I have.
On to something cheerier! I love how enthusiastic my neighbor is. He signed up for the race right away. Then the next day, we ran 5 miles together. We talked about the race a bit, and I think he was somewhat nervous. He asked if I thought he was ready. I think I responded with something like, “You just ran two miles more than a 5k! Of course you’re ready!” And he did really great today.
It was raining just a bit when we started, but as soon as we took off, the rain cleared!
Beautiful skies… not!!!
The course went through a the Old School Forest Preserve. The course was all crushed gravel and mostly wooded. It’s a fun course! When we ran it on Thursday we saw deer three times.
Can you find me?
I was being a bit pushy while we were running. I thought our plan was to run between 9:30-10:00 minute miles (like during our practice run) but once I saw how well my neighbor was doing, I didn’t let him slow down! I hope he wants to run with me again!
We ran just under 9:00 minute miles (splits at the bottom of the page), and sprinted the last part. I said, “Go Fritz go!” (Maybe it would have made more sense to just type his name from the beginning?) and he just took off!!! Then I was sprinting to keep up with him.
Our fast sprint to the finish line!
We finished in 26:36, which is actually a 5K PR for me because I haven’t run one in awhile!
Exhausted and sweaty!
Steven* was there the whole time, and Fritz’s wife came with their two kids and his brother! It’s so fun to see family at the finish line!
After the race, we talked to the Runner’s Edge (local running store) people about a 4-mile fun run they are hosting this Thursday and we had been thinking about doing. We met another runner who wants to do it, and she seemed really nice. That should be a fun way to meet new people!
Distance: 3.14 miles | Time: 26:36 | 1: 8:30 | 2: 8:42 | 3: 8:32 | 4: 0:51
UGH, It took me FOREVER to write this, because Firefox kept typing all of my words backwards. I restarted it a few times then finally uninstalled and reinstalled. HOW FRUSTRATING!!!
*Wondering why Steven didn’t run? He’s been having a hip problem since the half marathon, and has been taking it easy (the smart thing to do). I MISS running with him though.
That looks like so much fun! Congratulations on the PR and I am glad you had a ton of fun despite the stupid parking situation last week.
In the corner of the picture, is that his son? What a cutie pie (from what I can see anyway).
tori – Thanks! I was thinking of you when we were there – thinking you would like running there! That is his daughter, and she is a TOTAL cutie! I keep telling people about how cute she is and that I think she could be a child model 😉 Oh, if you look at my pics on Facebook, you can see a better pic of her 😉
Great run for a great cause. Good for you.
Beth – Thanks 😀
That sounds like a really cool race. I’m glad you and your neighbor got to run it together, in a great time, no less!
That’s so awesome that you run with your neighbor! Also, that’s a great 5K PR! I’m aiming for under 27 at my 5K on June 13th. I think I can do it!
Also, it always makes me feel good when the race I’m running is for a good cause. This one definitely sounds like a worthy one. I hope they raised a lot of money.
Mica – Thanks 🙂 It was a fun run. I like more “natural” runs like this one, even if it means I have to empty the rocks out of my socks at the end!
Erin – Which one is 6/13? Is that the Skirt Chaser? You can totally make it under 27! I think they DID raise a lot of money! It was a 10K as well, and I think even more people may have been running that! 🙂
I love races for a cause like that! And how great that you were able to do it with your friend. And you were SUPER FAST!!
I’m so incredibly proud of you.
I was not built to be a runner (bad knees run in the family and one of my legs is slightly longer than the other), but sometimes reading your posts makes me want to lace up my sneakers and take off down the street.
Great job on the 5K and fun you had your neighbor to run with! Great pics!
GREAT job!!! Loved all of the pics. Sorry to hear about Steven’s hip problem. Nice that your neighbor could run with you. Happy to hear that the proceeds go directly to this worthy cause. You ARE making a difference and that’s awesome!!! 😀
Congrats on the race! So fun to run with your neighbor for an awesome cause, especially one that hits close to home for someone you know!
healthy ashley – Aww, thanks!
bobbi – Thanks 😀
Stacey – Thank you. That comment really makes me feel good 🙂
Jamie – Thanks! I realized later that I look a bit out of it in the pics. I guess that is what happens when you are rained on the go run! 😉
Denise – I did feel like our money was making a difference since this was a smaller, more direct organization. I hope Steven feels better soon 🙁
Susan – Thanks 🙂 I should talk to my neighbor more about the situation so I understand it better. He can explain it firsthand.
Congratulations on the new PR!
I’m glad to be running again, and I’m starting to get my pace up a bit. Hopefully I’ll be back under 10minute/mile before too long.
Regarding hunger, I usually focus my money/effort locally. Out of curiosity, I checked the stats for central Texas and was only slightly surprised to find the following (from http://www.austinfoodbank.org/hunger/):
They go on to define “food insecure” as:
I point this out not to take anything away from the troubles in Haiti, just to stress that there are also significant issues here. Also, I expect that this data doesn’t factor in the amount of assistance available and that food assistance is much more readily available in this country.
Ren – Thank you. I hope you get under 10 min/mile soon! I bet you are already there. Thanks for sharing the stats. I agree that there are significant issues here in the states. My office is pretty big on donating to the Greater Chicagoland Food Depository, so I have been trying to make donations. It ALL seems so political though, you know?