My First 5K: Documented for Posterity

Guess what?

I ran my first 5K last week! This was truly an amazing feat for me. I have never been a runner. In fact, I was the girl in gym class who huffed and puffed around the track claiming that I couldn't run. I must admit the odds were and (still are) stacked against me. I don't have a "runner's body". There is nothing long and lean about me. I'm a mere 5'0" tall.

This all started with The Big D. I started running to amp up my weight loss efforts. Over a six month period I slowly and gradually worked myself up to a point where I could run a good amount of time without stopping. At that point, I decided to bite the bullet and sign up to run a 5K(3.1 miles) with my husband, Rich, and friend, Shelley.

I trained mostly with Rich who is not a mere 5'0" tall. He's a much more significant 6'0" tall. He was so sweet and helpful and ran right alongside me even though it was more difficult for him to run at a slower pace. He also helped me work through some of the mental stuff, which turned out to be a BIG part of the battle for me.

I didn't set any speed records, but I met my goal of running the entire distance (without stopping) and finishing in under 40 minutes. My official time was 38:22.5. And do you know what? I actually enjoyed it! I didn't enjoy all of the training, but I definitely enjoyed the race. In fact (now brace yourself for this one), I'm running another one in about two weeks! I'd like to satisfy my curiosity by seeing if I can run it a bit faster. After this one, I plan to take a break for awhile and not push quite so hard.

Anyway, that's a little bit about what has been going on with me. Thanks to all of you who have encouraged me and prayed for me along the way. It really meant so much to me!

Shelley and I (BR - before the race)

Rich and I (BR)

Shelley and I (AR - After the race)

Rich and I (AR)