Slow & Steady...finishes the race

Yesterday I participated in the 1st (annual?) LongDoggers Beach Challenge...5K Run/Walk.
They made an afternoon of it...had Bounce Houses for the kiddies, Tents with various beverages, a Big screen TV for Football viewing and a local band, The entire parking lot was full...as were all surrounding businesses and their lots. I heard over 200 people signed up to run/walk....but I don't know for sure. I personally...am a walker....I started at the back of the crowd...when they all took off...I started walking. It was in the evening, on the beach, so it was pleasant. It is not easy to walk on the beach...as one friend said, "tomorrow we'll all be walking with one hip out of joint". My plan was to go slow and steady (like the tortoise...haha) and stay near the water line where the sand is packed firm. I wore Teva sandals...they keep my heel comfy and they can get wet...so they were perfect.until the last 1/2 mile when the straps and sand were rubbing blisters into my feet...but I kept going! Occasionally I had to venture up into the soft sand...(.it feels like trudging through soft snow.)..I figure my job was to motivate those folks that were doing a combination of walking and running. I would steadily gain on them, pass them and then I could almost hear them thinking "D$#%, she's passing us...and she's walking!" Almost always...they would start jogging to pass me by again...only to see me coming by them again a few yards up the beach.
I was sort of like the the background scenery in a cartoon....all of the sudden I was back in their peripheral vision... uh oh!....time to start jogging!...I finally wore a few of them out....hahaha, and passed them once and for all. My feet were tired by the end of the walk....and it took longer than our usual walk takes....my unofficial time was 46.?? minutes. (Did I mention when the day started...I did not feel well...I had an upset stomach and headache until about 1:30PM) A smoothie and some chicken soup for my late lunch...seemed to finally get me back on track!) I knew who a lot of the participants were...but no one walked with me. John worked all morning and was tired...and my friend D who thought she might walk...decided not to...so I was on my own :( Ran into one of Brenna's friends at the end...he ran the 5K in 30 minutes...so I figured walking it in 46 wasn't too bad! I'm a little tired and sore today...but I got my bike ride in...now I think I'll go watch some football. Go Steelers!