We ran out first 5K!  And I did better than I expected.  Didn’t win or anything, but I certainly didn’t come in last.

I signed Roy and I up for the Amnesty International Couples 5K.  Roy promised me he would run with me, though I told him he didn’t need to, he was more than welcome to go on ahead, as they add the two times together in the end for an ‘official time.’

But he said it was a COUPLES race, so we would stay together.

Boy, it was cold!  But it was packed. Lots of people all different shapes and sizes came out to support a good cause and to have some fun.  There were a few runners that were obviously in a different class than most of the pack, but they did their thing, and we did ours.

It was easy to get caught up in the beginning.  You want to keep up, and for the first 1/2 mile I did.  But the cold got to me.  I was sure we had been outside enough for our lungs to adjust, but after about 3/4 of a mile my lungs were burning, and I was wheezing.  I slowed to a walk, and gave myself about 25 meters to get my breathing under control.

It reminded me of swimming. I used to hate swimming the mile in a meet, it was such a long race, and it was all about pacing and your breathing.  I went right back to that place and got my breathing under control, and started to jog again.  And for the rest of the race, that is how I went.  I ran more than I walked this time, and for that I am really proud of myself.  Roy stuck right there with me.  He knows I don’t want a cheerleader running next to me, but he did just enough to keep me going.  If I needed to walk, he slowed down with me.

That last mile was rough.  It was on a trail, which I am not used to running, and me being the wuss I am, running downhill on gravel makes me nervous.  I wiped out on something like that before, and it doesn’t feel good on the hands!  But we kept going, and that last hill was a doozy!  My legs were burning, and I tried my best to push as hard as I could.  

In the end, I finished with a time of 37:55.  Roy was right in front of me.  It wasn’t fast, and I know I slowed Roy down a bit, but I had FUN!  It was a first for us, and I am so proud that we did it!

My goal originally was under 45 minutes.  Roy said I should shoot for under 40, I said ok, but secretly I would have been happy with under 45.  And when we turned that last corner, and I saw the big clock, I couldn’t believe it!

37:35…

37:36…

37:37….

It was fitting… as we were finishing up the race Nicki Minaj’s Moment 4 Life was playing on my iPod.  I didn’t win, and it was probably a rather slow time, but I did it!  Our first 5K…

This 37 year old mom of 5 had her little “Moment 4 Life” today… and it feels pretty damn great!