Firecracker 5k

I actually did it!!! I ran a 5k, I didn't stop, I didn't walk, I didn't cry, and I finished, 739th to be exact, yep you read the number right, and I am super proud of the number because it means I didn't quit and I crossed the finish line.  There were about a thousand people who showed up to run and I have to admit that this was an experience that was raising the anxiety level pretty high for me.  I couldn't exactly pin point why I was so nervous but I was sick to my stomach.  I have never done anything like this my entire life.  The last time I ran one mile, before I started getting ready for this race, was in high school, my sophmore year in P.E. and I am not sure that I even ran the whole time.  I have always stayed away from competitive and  events like this and so I was just really scared, but I went anyway.  I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and  was not going back to sleep.  So I ate and got ready, we woke the kids up and we were off.

There were a lot of crazy costumes, note the penguin in the back ground.  Side note he totally beat me, what's up with that?

We did the pre-race pictures just in case I died along the way, which I warned my kids could happen.

And the gun went off.  A good friend of mine told me to find someone who seemed to be running the same pace as me, and try and keep up.  The route was pretty simple, and I got to the half way point and realized that I was really enjoying this whole thing.  It didn't seem nearly as long as I expected and I was still breathing.

I loved being able to see the finish line.  I even had enough kick in me to sprint to the finish.  J.T. was going to try to finish with me but I didn't see him and ran right past.

I finished a whole song sooner on my i-pod than I expected.  I couldn't have been more pleased.

I am so glad my family was there to support me.  

So the story ends, I accomplished something that was difficult and that I worked really hard for, and it feels FANTASTIC!!