5K my way

See me in there? I'm about a third of the way back. Green tank, black shorts, red headband?
Oh well, never mind.
The Susan Komen Race for the Cure has become a birthday tradition for me since my mom got breast cancer five years ago. It is not the kind of 5K I usually seek out because a)it's always so hot b)there are so many people crowding in it's hard to get a decent time and c)it's always the weekend of my birthday.
But I run it for my mom (she's survived) anyway. Normally I'm a bit of a worrywart. Will we get heat stroke? Will I get stuck behind a bunch of walkers, like I did three years in a row? Will I lose my kids--also running--in the sea of humanity by Union Station?
Yesterday, though, was the happiest I can ever remember being during this run. The Star had a team, so we were able to do it on their dime, which was nice. And it was hot, but I only really suffered when facing into the sun the last quarter mile or so. And the new route did have a few more hills. But somehow, I wasn't spending my time worrying about making it up those steep ones by the new Kaufman Center for Performing Arts.
Usually on these things, my thoughts go like this: Oh, God, I'm outpacing myself. So many people. Don't let me get winded and have to walk. Don't let me fall down by the finish line. But yesterday, I don't think I ever had any of these negative, performance-anxiety self talks. So that's progress, isn't it?
As a result, I was able to just enjoy the scenery and the tunes from the bands along the way. In other years, we've gone east through the Jazz District, but this year we went north, just in front of the Star and it's new printing plant, the Sprint Center, then back through downtown and the Power and Light District, and up again past the construction on the arts center before heading to Union Station via Broadway.
All those civic improvements got me thinking. A lot of people on this run--maybe even most of them--aren't from Kansas City proper. I'm willing to bet many of the runners and walkers who live in the area come from the outlying suburbs. And of those, there are probably at least a few who rarely visit downtown. Many, if you ask them privately, voice a disdain for downtown and its politics.
I can remember, a few years back, being a parent chaperon for our kids' field trip through Union Cemetery, the Plaza and other points of interest downtown. We drove, since we weren't lucky enough to get a bus seat. And it was up to me to keep us oriented. None of the others in the car had a working knowledge of the downtown.
Some suburban people just have an unreasoning fear on this subject. They've heard about a rolling gun battle or a carjacking, and to them the whole area gets painted with that same dirty brush. It's partly racist and partly just ignorance of the territory. So getting people downtown--even if it's just for a few hours' visit for the Komen 5K or the Kansas City Bicycle Club's Fountain Tour--can go a long way toward introducing reason to that fear.
It works both ways, though. There are plenty of downtowners who scorn the burbs--JOCO in particular. Some people are wealthy, shallow or racist, so then we all must be. Some Joconians make fun of KCMO, so then we all probably do.
Maybe the suburbs need their own big event, with people from all over walking the streamway trails, or riding through the historic sites. Maybe what we all need is a series of field trips.
Anyway, thinking this stuff helped pass the time so pleasantly I was hardly aware of running at all. Maybe it was just that delusional runner's high I've heard so much about.
I didn't get a timing chip this year. So let's just assume I got my best time ever.

PS. Photo credit to Susan Pfannmuller. I remember passing her by and almost hitting her shoulder. Wonder how long she had to stand still before it was safe to move out of there.