g.i. jane 5k

Today was Ashly's 5K for Freedom in Lehigh Parkway. We did this race last year so we knew to expect lot of pomp and circumstance. They didn't let us down.

Ashly was Army. Last year there was a Marine Corp color guard. This year I think it was Army. She was killed in the line of duty at 21. They had military vehicles and people at the event. A current G.I. Jane took the picture of us.  Both the Gold and Blue Star Mothers groups were there. Veterans groups were there. People missing limbs were there. And politicans were runners. Yep it was that kind of a race.

It opened with the color guard and the Pledge. Then moved, of course, into the Star Spangled Banner and lots of speeches. Then someone sang a country song I had never heard before. Even hardened people like me could help but get choked up. I tried to find it online, but my knowledge of country music is limited and I only heard it once. Maybe Lyd will remember.

Finally the race started. Bonnie was in front, then me, then Lyd. Bonnie got ahead on the hills and I caught up. Suddenly there was Lyd. She wanted to be in the front a few minutes so she RAN ahead. Let's not talking about cheating. Lydia ran.

We stayed together till Lyd slowed down to take pics of Bogart's Bridge. Bonnie and were going to power walk across it. She flew. It was too uneven for me. Then it seemed every one was stopping at the end of the bridge to take stones out of their shoes, adjust their baby carriages, whatever. Bonnie was gone. A full minute ahead of me. Every time I got almost caught up she sprinted ahead.

Around 2 miles she started hurting. She's just off the DL. I think she was pushing too hard. For maybe a half-mile we were together or I was ahead. Then she got her second wind and tore past me. At one point she was a full minute ahead again.

She came in at 52:55, me at 53:25, Lyd at 55:21, and Sharon at 57:30. But Sharon didn't finish. She got lost. Or confused. Or something. She's walked the 5K course before, I don't know what her problem was.

In our goodie bags there was penny candy. I gathered Sharon's, Lyds and mine together and put it in a bowl for Halloween. The roomie scored the Slim Jims. Sharon took the granola bars.

After the race they had fruit, chips, pretzels, hot dogs and hoagies. The chips were by Utz. Regular chips, made in central Pennsylvania and they only have 3% salt! The low salt ones from Frito Lay I've been buying Pat are 4%. Unlike Frito Lay, Utz has been low salt for 85 years, plus they beat Lays in calories, fat and other nutrition facts. They are my new favorites. Local (okay, Pennsylvania preferred) and low salt. And they taste good too!

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There was only football on tv tonight so I watched the local news. Bonnie and Lyd were on the 5K segment, twice. Once in the big pan shot about 3/4 of the way thru, and again as a closeup near the end.