5k

Yesterday I accomplished something that I have always been meaning to do... I ran my first 5k!  I have been running (on and off) since high school, but never for anything more than exercise and stress-relief.  Lucy and I run/jog 2.5-3 miles usually five days per week so I have considered that my "training."  I only timed myself a couple of times but knew they were not really accurate since I was always with Lucy who needs no less than four potty breaks during longer runs, not to mention the times we need to say hello to other dogs or try and catch the squirrels.  I was told recently that I should be able to run the race in under 30 min so that is what I set my goal at.  I was thrilled to cross the finish line and see 27:27 on the clock! 

Official stats:

Place:  44th out of 179 runners

Div Place:  6th out of 18 runners in my division

Race time: 27:29

Pace: 8:51

The race was held at Briar Chapel, a "green" housing community south of Chapel Hill.  The course was a mix of rolling hills and what seemed like a good number of turns.  The area is beautiful and the weather was in the high 60's - perfect for running.  I do my daily runs in a neighborhood nearby that has some pretty big hills which most definitely helped my training.  My usual route has over 200 ft of climbing so the small hills on the race course were actually not very difficult at all.  I held a steady pace throughout the race (including the hills) and found myself actually passing people on the uphill.  That had to be my favorite part of the whole race  :)

One reason that I choose this 5k was that it benefited an organization called The Abundance Foundation, which aims to educate the public on sustainability topics, specifically: local food, renewable energy, water quality, and conservation.  Naturally I gravitated towards a race that helped out such an important cause.

Beginning of the race, it's pretty easy to find me in my bright pink top:

Smiling at the beginning of the race.  The smile quickly faded though as I got into "the zone"

Halfway point.  Fortunately Erik was there on his bike so he was able to quickly zoom around and get lots of pictures of me at various points of the course.

The course had markers at miles #1 and #2.  For some reason I didn't see the second mile marker so when I got close to the end and Erik yelled "almost done" I was like "but I haven't passed mile #2 yet!"

Crossing the finish line!

I thought after I ran a 5k it would be something I would cross off my list of things to do in life, and that would be that.  Instead I found myself online last night researching upcoming 5 and 10k races in the area.  Can't wait to do it again!