Check!

Complete first 5k- Check!

It's done. The moment I've been working towards for 3 months. Done. I can't believe it! I have an overwhelming amount of satisfaction right now. It's an amazing feeling to know that I went from a couch potato to finishing my first 5k. In a way it feels like I've been training for this for forever but, in another way, it seems like it really hasn't been that long. I just know that I am so proud of myself for setting the goal and seeing it all the way through. It's a huge accomplishment and I'm so glad I pushed myself and believed in myself enough to make it happen.

The day started out quite stressful. The race was in downtown Orlando and even though I had two maps printed out and highlighted, we still got lost. Like several times lost. We were making u-turns and back tracking and trying to find our way pretty much all morning. It led to some tense conversations in the car. I think I was just so hyped up and nervous for the run that not being able to figure out where to go was pushing me to the brink of my stress level. It only made it more complicated that Becky and Will were following us in their car. It was a mess. We finally did make our way to the registration area though and had plenty of time to spare.

I was shocked by how large the event was. I heard someone say there were 2,300 people competing in the race today! There were people everywhere. Some very serious runners and some, like us, who looked like novices. The 15k started first and then we got lined up for our 5k. It was very strange for me to run with a crowd. I'm so used to running alone and having a ton of space to myself. Having to watch out for people was kind of distracting. I was able to run the whole first mile without stopping. There was a lady at the mile marker calling out times and we made it to that mark in 12 minutes. After that, I had to take a break. I alternated running and walking for the rest of the race. Becky was faster than me so we got separated at times but managed to catch up with each other eventually.

One of the things I was most worried about, the water stations, turned out to be the worst thing about the race. There was one water station between miles one and two. ONE!! I've been running with a water bottle and am used to having it available whenever I needed it. It was tough to go without. So, lesson learned, next time I will definitely be carrying water with me.

All in all, Becky and I both did fantastic. We finished in 41 minutes. It hurt our pride just a touch that the first 15k runner finished at the same time we did but, whatever. Freak. There were tons of people behind us so we felt good about that. There was a firefighter running in the 5k with his full gear on! Oxygen tank and everything!! That guy is amazing! What an inspiration. We are definitely planning on continuing with racing. We've already picked our next 5k. It'll be on October 30. The new goal is to try to finish that one in 40 minutes or less!

Thank you to everyone for your support and advice. I really appreciate it. You guys are all so encouraging and I really appreciate you being here to cheer me on. Kristen, we'll all be cheering you on tomorrow! Good luck with your 10k!! You go girl!!

I posted some pictures in the family album of our race and Emily's last week. The pictures of our race aren't great. Joe said I was running too fast for him to take a picture. Yeah right.