I Guess I Didn't Want that Camera Anyway - Run with the Flock 5k Race Report

After dropping Hubby off at work super early, I booked it to Jacksonville. My ETA was 7:11, and that is cutting it really close for a race that starts at 7:30. Luckily, traffic was very light, and I got there about 7am or a few minutes after. Parking was super easy (thank God), with it's own dedicated parking lot.

Packet pickup was downstairs, in a grassy area on the bank of the river. My brain said I'd regret it, but I barreled down to get my stuff without gearing up first. Again, luckily, it worked out for me, and I was able to bring my goody bag up to my car and gear up before I headed back downstairs to the starting area, with about 5 minutes to spare before the beginning of the race.

After Whitney's version of the National Anthem, we all took off. So far, the weather is very nice - I mean, it's over 80º, but it wasn't crazy humid. We ran down Riverside Avenue, which in my head is known as Gate River Run, Mile 2. We also ran along River Road before returning back towards River Walk.

Halfway into this race, the heat and humidity really kicked into high gear! All I could think of, at this point, was please God, don't make me have to do the Riverwalk Ramp! Luckily, we headed towards the finish line before we got that far. I was coming up on the finish line, but then realized that we had to go past it, then turn around and double-back. I hate teases like that...

My time, as usual, was shitty.  My official time was 57:26 (pace 18:29). I was 55th in my age group out of 59 total F40-44 runners, and I beat 44 people. My medal is super cute, though!

I grabbed a bottle of water and headed upstairs to ungear at the car. I also grabbed my shirt so I could swap it out for a 2XL. 

After I did that, I snagged a free snow cone and walked around the few tents and picked up some goodies (pens, notepads, a few lip balms). I debated waiting for a free massage, but there were too many people in line. I took a few fun photos, then headed back to the car again to finish emptying out my pockets.

I headed to the nearby Publix to change my clothes, and picked up a half-gallon of OJ to boost my blood sugar, then I was off to IKEA - I had a $15 off coupon to use for my birthday.

I got there before the store was open, so I treated myself to a Swedish American Breakfast, with scrambled eggs, chicken sausage, potatoes, and waffles (instead of crepes). With a soda on the side, it was a whopping $3.21. Wow!  Oh... yeah, that tastes like $3 food. Nevermind.

It's pretty at least...

GRONO Table Lamp - $9.99

Once the store was open, I found some fun things to treat myself with. I picked up a set of KALAS bowls, a SOCKERKAKA baking mat, and a really cool GRONO table lamp (for my office at work), as well as picking up some new batteries to restock my hoard. After my coupon, I only paid $16!

I went down the road and wandered The Christian Glitter Capital of the World - Hobby Lobby! Lord, I love Hobby Lobby! I found a super-cute Halloween fascinator-style headband hat, and some socks that say "boo" on them (sadly, they don't fit, and I have to return them).

My final stop was to gas up the car and grab snacks at Wawa. I also used my Free Fountain Beverage reward for my birthday (I love free!) I wanted something easy for lunch, since I'd have to eat in the car, but St. John's Town Center really only has that "classy" fast-food, like Chick-fil-A and PDQ... nothing that's easy to eat in the car. I decided to get on the interstate and check out the exit signs for inspiration. 

I ended up going to Hardee's. It was one of those Hardee's connected to a Red Burrito, so I got a Little Thickburger and a single Red Burrito Taco. I wasn't impressed with the taco... the shell was stale, and it tasted just like Taco Bell.

I picked up both Hubby and The Kiddo from work then we all headed home. I unpacked my stuff and realized that there was something missing... where was my camera? I know I had it. I took stupid photos of flamingos and stuff... Where the hell is my $250 camera!?!

Fuck, you guys, I lost my camera....

And I lost all my race photos, my hotel photos and Disney photos from my birthday trip last week...

... heavy sigh... 

I posted on the Running with the Flock Facebook page to see if anyone had seen it. I also emailed Ronda at Running with the Flock Foundation to see if anyone turned it in, but as of September 17th, nothing has been found...

So, my camera is gone. I've never felt like such a failure... 

You know the irony of this whole situation? When we were at Disney last week, I kept bitching about how I didn't like the camera because of the stupid WiFi issue... the camera had a touch-screen and a dedicated WiFi button, so it would often attempt to turn on and upload photos... Guess Fate heard that and decided to teach me a lesson. I like to think that some Jacksonville Hobos found my camera and are out there living their best supermodel lives... at least until the battery died and they pawned it for crack.

So, for now, I'll go back to using my tiny Purple CoolPix until I can find a good replacement. Maybe there will be some good Black Friday sales in a few months...