mogadishu mile 5k

I decided to run the Mogadishu Mile in part because I thought it would be good training for the Savage Race in November and in part because I was 3 years old during Operation Gothic Serpent. My textbooks never mentioned it and the only time I heard about it in college was to hear it blamed for the U.S. not intervening in Rwanda. Therefore, I figured that participating in this event would encourage me to learn more about the events that happened and the people who served. It did.

There's nothing quite like braving Dallas rush hour traffic, getting mildly lost, trying a new restaurant solo, running a 5k alone, or figuring out how to get to the race site without directions to really force you out of your comfort zone. Which was the whole point of signing up for this race--forcing myself out of my comfort zone in the middle of a deployment--but I wasn't expecting to be shoved out of my comfort zone with the door locked behind me.

At least, that was the case for me, who had never before driven in Dallas alone or booked a hotel alone (and got lost on the way there) or eaten at P.F. Chang's (and got lost leaving there) or run a 5k (and got lost on the way there) or figured out how to get somewhere new based on a race route and the map on my GPS. The race route didn't have a direct address that I could type, so I synthesized the two maps to figure out where to go--and that's a pretty big deal for someone who finds herself having to look both ways down the hallway when leaving a hotel room because my sense of direction is mostly lacking.

After braving the traffic, I was stressed and practiced deep breathing before retreating to the hotel room. I wanted to just stay inside until meeting the race coordinators at 8 p.m., but I'd arrived slightly before 6 p.m. and knew I'd be famished by 8, so I decided to check out a sushi place.

Naturally, that means that I stopped at the first restaurant I saw, which happened to be P.F. Chang's. I ordered tuna tataki and vegetarian fried rice. The tuna was amaaazing. I think I make better fried rice. Overall, I liked the restaurant and am now one step closer to crossing off something else on my deployment bucket list!

I also got lost on the way back to the hotel.

I spent the rest of the evening meeting and chatting with some really amazing and inspiring people--the event coordinator and her team, some volunteers, and the photographer (who has caught an alligator gar, which looks terrifying in the event that you've seen that episode of "River Monsters").

In the morning, I once again became mildly lost due to relying completely on a GPS and the assumption that I would be able to find the location in the dark. I arrived a few minutes late but the event also started late, so it all worked out!

Task Force Ranger led the way in the one-mile walk. I knew the moment I came upon Heroes' Alley because everyone suddenly became very quiet. This is the only photo that I took because I felt it was disrespectful. I have never before seen this type of memorial in person--it was very sobering, even if the people who were commemorated were killed 20 years ago. I didn't even know these men but it brought tears to my eyes.

After Heroes' Alley, there were a few speeches and then it was time to start!

At the beginning, I was a little intimidated because the general pace was slightly faster than my normal pace, but I fell in behind four men who seemed to be about my age (maybe slightly younger). They were wearing their combat boots and either a vest or some sort of equipment over their uniforms (minus the jackets), so I felt that if I could keep up with these guys, then I was doing pretty well. After they started to slow down a little over halfway I decided to use another runner as my pace setter. He looked to be in his fifties, wore BDUs, and probably ran the whole thing twice because he kept running back in an effort to encourage his friend, who didn't run as quickly.

My main disappointment lay in the end--I decided to sprint the last several yards even though I felt more than done and ready to quit. As I neared the finish line, I realized that I actually had a lot more energy than I thought I did, which meant that I could have started sprinting a lot sooner and shaved more seconds off of my final time (30:48.9 minutes). That meant that I didn't make my 30-minute goal (which I made about halfway through the race, anyway), but I did meet my 32.00-or-less goal and I can now cross the Mogadishu Mile off of my deployment bucket list!

Also, my hand is fisted like that because I was holding an orange. Which was sticky and so hard to peel after running that I ended up eating the seeds because I was too lazy to try and pick them out. But I picked an orange instead of a banana because Alan said it would help with the pain/cramps that I've been getting after running. It made me think of the days when I played AYSO soccer and parents always brought orange slices to games. They were super messy and the coaches didn't like it when we used the water from the coolers to wash our hands. I remember that once, a parent brought grapes instead of orange slices. Best. Snack. Ever.

After the race, I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts because I haven't had DD since I left Pennsylvania and I love it. It was amazing. It was also probably the worst post-run food ever, but it was delicious and I have no regrets. Dunkaccino for the win.

The puppies were super happy to see me again. Especially Ophelia.