Two racing girls

My first 5K race was yesterday, and Chickie had her first race too! It was a "Kid K," probably about 1/3 mile.

Before the race she wasn't too happy about the chilly (low 50s) weather....



But once the race started, she began running, with gusto!



And we were so proud--with Daddy alongside, Chickie ran the whole way!



She was proud of the medal she got (given to all the kids.)



Then it was Mommy's turn. The race went well--I was even able to smile with about a quarter mile left!



I did do just a little walking; I think that my breathing suffered with the excitement of the race, and I got some side cramps--ouch. Hopefully next time I'll pace myself a little better. But as I neared the finish line, I got a fantastic burst of energy and sprinted the rest of the way. That was a great feeling! A finish line is more fun than my front door, where my runs usually end!



My time (31:36) was a little slower than I'd hoped for, but overall I think it was a great race, and next time I'll know more of what to expect and will do even better. There were 181 women, and I was #91. That puts me exactly in the middle of the pack, and as a beginner I am happy with that! I was a little below the middle in my age/gender group. (By the way, the top female ran in 18:13...and she was in the 7 to 11 age group! Amazing!)

I enjoyed the race so much that I decided to sign up for a 10K (6.2 miles)...in four weeks! I probably will do part walking/part running, but just finishing will be a victory for me--someone who wasn't even a runner until I started the Couch-to-5K program a little over four months ago on October 28!