My First 5K

Here I am at the start of the race. I trained for 8 weeks with my ipod and my dog. Last week I ran without the dog and without the ipod just to make sure I could do it. Never once in the 8 weeks I have been running did I run in the rain. The dog reluctantly stayed home. The ipod went with me. So I arrived at the start of the race, in the pouring rain, relatively unprepared, wondering what I was doing there and exactly why I ever thought this was a good idea. It turns out that running in the rain is miserable, but not much more miserable than running in general. The worse part was that my glasses were spotted and fogged the whole time and it was difficult to see where I was going. Sometimes I took them off. It made the colors brighter, and I think I stayed on the course the whole way. Thanks to my support team who crafted the homestar runner t-shirts, and kept me from quitting before I even started, for cheering me on at mile 1, and for watching expectantly at the finish line.
Speaking of which, here I am at the finish line. Note my time. This is of course a PR for me. I finished the race (goal #1). I ran under a 12 minute mile (goal #2). If I had been under the age of 19, I would have won a medal. But it turns out that a lot of women age 40-49 had nothing better to do today than run in the rain. And unfortunately they all ran faster than me. I did, however, win something in the raffle drawing. In fact my ticket was the first one drawn. Thus, I was first. Soon enough I will be in the 50-59 category where I will be a contender.