I Survived My First 5K Run!

Okay...I know this is not a big deal but for someone who is not into running, I'm just so happy I survived my first marathon. I had a lousy finish (46 minutes) but I don't really mind. I was there for the experience. My friend Naomi took home the first prize in her age division. She's 19 and I'm 34, so now you know why I'm such a slowpoke (read: excuses, excuses). Anyway, she inspires me to walk and run regularly so who knows, maybe the next time that I join a marathon, I'd be bringing home a trophy too. After all, a girl can dream. :)

The first ten minutes was the hardest. I felt my legs growing numb. Runners were passing me by, and I just couldn't keep up. I'd run for three minutes and then I couldn't run anymore. I had to stop then brisk walk. After one mile, I got the hang of it so I did better. I was running longer before I had to stop and take brisk walks again. There was a part that was uphill so that was tough.

There were 200+ marathon participants; young, old, kids, skinny, not-so-skinny. It's amazing how kids not even 5 years old were able to run like it was nothing, not to mention embarassing for me! The cutest thing was seeing a family run together and seeing dads and moms run while pushing baby strollers. The fastest runner clocked in at 16 minutes. I was not the slowest, mind you. There were a few people that took more than an hour. (read: excuses, excuses again).

Incidentally, the 5k run was part of the Holland Corn Festival for this year. So Dear Hubby and I stayed after the run to look at the art booths and watch the parade. Holland is a small and charming town in Central Texas. There's something about it that warms my heart; the unaffected and idyllic atmosphere, I guess.

So far, I’ve successfully peeled my butt off the couch to run in the treadmill regularly. I know I should pound pavement and I will. I’ll make sure this is not something that I do just for the heck of it. I want to be fit and healthy. Okay, okay, the truth is I just want to lose the excess poundage to be able to fit into tiny dresses and shorts ;p If little kids can run like hell, so can I. It will be a long time before I’d join another marathon, but when I do, I’ll be better prepared. For now, the treadmill and the park will do for me.