I Came, I Ran, I Conquered Finished

For my first ever race, I didn't do half bad.

At 3.3 miles, the course was shorter than we expected, but still longer than the accurate 5k measurement of 3.1 miles.

Craig, being as speedy as ever, placed third with a time of 21:18.

While not even close to running as fast as Craig, that will NEVER happen, I did come in under my goal time of 30 minutes. I ran the 3.31 miles in 29:33, averaging an 8:56 pace.

Not bad for a first timer, I guess.

Especially a first timer who was built for endurance and not speed.

At the end, to be honest, I felt like throwing up. Unwilling to break my nearly 18 year vomit free streak, I pushed through.

The course was hilly. Very hilly.

But I did it.
And I'd like to do it again someday.

Hopefully faster.

Running three or four miles, albeit a little slower, at the gym before a taking a class isn't uncommon for me, so I wasn't expecting to be so tired after the race.  I was dragging yesterday. Seriously tired.  Seriously sore hamstrings.

Regretfully, I didn't get a single decent picture of me at my first race. This is a bummer because I would have liked to post one. I'm sure you're all dying to see how I looked in my green tank top with number 188 pinned to it. I forgot to have someone take my picture pre-race and my post-race red face is not fit for viewing. Trust me, I'm doing you a huge favor.

I've never been the type of person that can exercise and then go out in public without showering first. I had friends in Georgia that would want to take the kids to McDonald's after the gym. They'd look perfectly decent, with nary a hair out of place, and I'd be a red faced, sweat drenched mess.
This is gross, but I'll share anyway:  after a workout, I can wring out the sweat in my hair like a wet dish towel. Isn't that disgusting?

Aren't you glad I shared?