First 5k.......check

I am elated that I actually ran in a 5k.  I truly never thought I would ever get to say that!  When you get rid of an extra 30 pounds, it's rather amazing what your body is more capable of doing. 

Two fantastic women that inspire me and I was fortunate enough to run with today.

I woke up about an hour before the alarm clock, was able to go back to sleep and got out of bed when the alarm went off.  Everything was laid out, all I had to do was stay calm, follow the list in my mind of what I needed to do and all would be fine.  My best cheerleader and running buddy texted me first thing and I shared that I wanted to be sick.  Just race day jitters, right?  She gave me a way to deflect and it came in handy at one point.

Hubby was great, supportive, calm, camera in hand.  My mom and dad came out and cheered me on.  Great friends racing and a great group of family and friends cheering all of us along. 

Everything I read said to take pre race pic, so here I am :)

Shortly after this was taken, as we were getting ready to start, met a very neat lady from Bradenton.  This was also her 1st 5k, she was running in it for her son who is autistic, running alone.  Debby and Pam talked both of us thru the start and what to anticipate.  This nice lady came and found us after the finish, great experience.

Last night I worked and worked on my playlist, strategically placing songs based on where I should be pacing.  I labored over the thing a bit too much for a 3 mile run.  But knowing my competitive nature, I knew I had to come up with some way to pace myself.  It worked.


Enjoying my playlist and telling my Dad what I'm listening too....I so love great music!

Race starts, things are moving along, I'm staying with some, getting passed by others, passing a few of my own.  As we are making a sharp turn, I determined something about my future in running.  I either need to be faster, grow taller, or just not run when there will be a lot of men. 

I'm not a tall person, ok I'm short (or as a friend once said "fun size").  Normally this doesn't bother me, but when you are crammed into a small space and everyone is trying to move along (think crowded football stadium) I am armpit height to a lot of smelly armpits!  So, I need to work out a strategy for that next race, walking no problem, I'm pretty fast at that, running, new ball game....

I paced myself really well, stayed within my 10-11 minute mile range I was shooting for.  We came out of the main park we were running at and I totally got distracted.  I started heading towards my family, no that wasn't the course.  Had to double time it a bit to get back on course.

I did walk a tiny bit of the last 1/2 mile, I really wanted to finish strong and new I had to breathe for two cones in order to do that (staying in my 10-11 min pace as well.)  But I did it!  I finished!  I have a PR now, pretty funny considering a couple weeks ago I had to Google that to determine what all these runners were talking about on their blogs (Personal Record.)

Headed to the finish with my Mom cheering me on (I so love her!)

All in all, great experience!  I really enjoyed the running and knowing the money was going for a good cause.  I am so grateful for Pam and Debby and all the support my friends have been giving me.  My hubby rocks, he was super patient even when the race was over and I was chatting with lot's of people.

Recapping and celebrating 1st 5k with Pam and Mom

So, my 5k PR is 32:25 with an average pace of 10:36.  Best pace of 8:19 (maybe for 2 seconds while escaping armpits?)  I'm already excited for the next one and seeing how I improve.  October I'm going to do another 5k for Heart Disease with several more running ladies I hope. 

Greatest moment for me was when my play list hit a certain song and all I could think was, "Thank you Lord for giving me legs and helping me each step of the way."  I truly am blessed.