What are all those numbers about, you say?

Yesterday, May 12, 2012 I ran in my first 5K race, the 33rd annual Midflorida Mayfaire. I have not been running regularly for very long; I practiced the 5K distance for a few weeks preceding this race. My goal was to come in under 30 minutes, and I did! My official race time was 29:24, which put me at 29th place out of 73 other girls in my age group. I ended up being in 502nd place out of a total of about 1,500 participants. Don’t worry, I already patted my back.

Overall, the race was good! It started at 7 p.m., which turns out to be a nice time for me. I was able to sleep in, do some yoga, eat a decent lunch, and have a generally lazy, relaxing day up to that point. That’s just the way I like it.

I felt the course was good for a beginner, but the hill at the end was pretty tough. It’s amazing how steep the streets feel when you’re running them as opposed to pressing the gas pedal in your car. The last hill was at the very end of the course, right when my energy was waning and my lungs were struggling to find enough oxygen amid the humidity. But, alas!  I ran like the Little Engine that Could and crossed the finish line.

My friend Mary was committed to run alongside me for my first race, and she kept me so motivated!

Pre-race: That’s me, Adam, and Mary. This was Adam’s and my first race.

Moments before I crossed the finish line

After the race, there were all sort of festivities, the best being fireworks. We all found a peaceful spot to sit along the edge of Lake Mirror, with an awesome view of the fireworks. We “oohed” and “ahhed” abundantly then shared some delicious pizza. It was the perfect end to a rewarding day.

Maybe I’ll stick with this running thing for a while.