My First 5K!

I ran my very first 5K on Saturday June 5th! I started training for it at the end of April and was determined to get in shape for my trip to North Carolina. My sister Heather has been my inspiration and she found us a race to do together. There were so many times in the past month that I was sure I was never going to make it! Running is NOT fun for me, and it took some serious will power to get me going some days. I only missed a few days in the past month, and I even cut out desserts and sweets!

I flew in to Charlotte Friday night. (Friday was a LONG day with just me and the kids. Let's just say it involved sitting on a plane for 45 minutes just to get off because it was broken. Waiting around for 45 min to get transferred to a new terminal and then finally getting back on a new plane. we were only delayed 2 hours but it felt so long!)
We woke up super early on Saturday, got ready and left the kids with a baby sitter. I was a little anxious, but I just told myself I was going for a run. There was definitely some excitement in the air before it started.
Here's Heather and I before we started. I felt pretty fancy with my number and tracking chip on.

Then off we went. It was extra humid that day and so so hot! I was at the back of the pack which was okay until people started to stop and walk. I was determined to run the whole way, no matter how slowly I ran, but it was so tempting to walk! Around mile 2 I wasn't sure I would make it. I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this? I hate running and it's sooo hot!" Knowing that my sister was at the end and I would have to be proud of my goal or disappointed that I didn't make it kept me going. Luckily there was a nice little hill I ran down at the end that gave me an extra boost. Here I am running at the end.

Everyone was cheering as I came running to the finish line. I know they cheer for everyone, but it made me feel so great! I was so tired but SOOOO HAPPY! I can't believe I did it!

I'm so glad I did this, and while I can't say I love to run, it was an awesome experience and I'll do it again! Maybe I can get Ben to do it with me next time!