My First 5K

Morning everyone!  Well, yesterday was quite the day.  It was the day that these past couple months of training have been leading to - my first 5K!  I participated in the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure at Mall of America.  And it was packed to say the least.  I think I heard on the radio that there were about 50,000 people there - and they raised $2.5 million for breast cancer research!  I think a lot of them participated in the walk at 9:00 though - they didn't all participate in the run.  It was definitely a great thing to be a part of.

When I first got there, I was a little overwhelmed - and cold!  It was about 30 degrees!  I'm glad I brought my zip-up sweatshirt to wear over my race shirt, because it definitely helped warm me up.  There were so many booths in the health expo - I wish I had gotten there sooner to check all of them out (didn't have time to stick around after the race).  But I did stop to get a pink Hawaiian lei and a banana, ha!  I had had a piece of toast with peanut butter on the ride there, so I thought half a banana would be a good addition.

(Source)

I got in line (there were no corrals), and they immediately started talking and welcoming everyone.  The national anthem started, and of course I got some tears in my eyes - it's that song, I tell you!  Gets me every time.  And soon after that, the race started.

It was a little slow-going at first, because of all the people.  But we took off and started running, and I started my music and my MapMyRun app.  Everyone was so excited, and I was definitely feeding off of adrenaline for the first mile.  I think I may have started too fast, because around the 1 mile marker, I felt pretty tired.  But I kept going.

A little after that, I started to get worried, because I was starting to get really out of breath.  I was sucking air, but told myself I have to keep going.  There were some people walking around me, and I felt the urge to do the same quite a bit, but I ran until I hit about 1.5 miles.  And then I walked for maybe 1 minute, and started back up again.  I kept looking at my app to check my pace, and it looked like I was a little ahead of my standard pace, so I slowed it down a bit.  Mile 2 was torture.  I wanted to die, but not once did I ever think of quitting.  I did walk a few times, but never more than a minute at a time.

Finally, I headed toward the final stretch.  I checked my app - 2.89.  This was it - I was getting closer.  Thank God!!  And when I turned the corner and saw the finish line in the distance, I sprinted.  I had so much energy, and the adrenaline returned.  I sprinted in to that finish line, and glanced at my app....

37:31

I couldn't believe it, and still can't!  I beat my goal (and previous times) by almost 4 minutes!  I was so proud of myself, and still am.  I am happy to call myself a runner.  My goal for my next race?  To run the whole thing, and of course beat 37:31.  Running a 5K had been on my bucket list for a long time.  You would think that since I checked that off, I could stop.  Nope.  I love running - it's something that has brought me so much peace, energy, and happiness the past couple of months.  It is the one constant in my life.  I do plan on running a few more 5Ks.  And come back tomorrow to hear all about what happens now that I've completed my first 5K.  I've got lots in store for the upcoming months!     :)