Grits & Gravy: the day i ran a 5k

I recently took up running and, to my great surprise, I am absolutely addicted to the rush I get from pounding the pavement. I am not great at it and my pace is slow but each week I keep working at it, getting a little bit better with every run. One night I mentioned to my friend Jennifer that I really wanted to run a 5k. A few days later, she sent me a suggestion for an upcoming race. At first I thought, "will I be ready?" but then I mustered up the courage and decided to give it a go.

As race day approached, I felt like a kid waiting to open presents on Christmas morning. I was excited and anxious. I knew that I could physically run the 3 miles because I had already done the distance twice on my long run days but I had never done a "race". I had no idea what to expect and hoped that it would not be one of my "off days".

On the morning of the race, we rose early to meet at 7am. There was a great buzz in the crowd as everyone chatted with their friends and warmed up their bodies. Of course, Debby was beginning to make her appearance in Florida so it was a little muggy and sprinkling but that did not stop us. Jennifer and I stretched as she gave me the play by play of what to expect. By 7:50am we were in line waiting for the race to begin. I had carefully crafted my race day playlist (thank you, Beyonce) and was ready to take off.

At 8:05am, the gun sounded off and away we went. The whole experience was quite exhilarating. Everyone takes off and begins to set their pace for the race. I am pretty sure that I was running a little faster that I needed to start out at but I was in the zone. As the race progressed, there were moments were I felt tired but I would walk, catch my breath and be off again. I ended up in a group of people who kept a similar pace as me which I especially enjoyed when we got closer to the finish line and cheered each other on. I completed my first race in 43 minutes and 24 seconds.

Six months ago, I probably could not run for 3 minutes straight but now I can run 3 miles! The body is an amazing thing. To have completed my goal is such a wonderful accomplishment. So many times we doubt ourselves, especially when it comes to physical challenges, but I am so thrilled that I had enough courage to believe that I could do this. And, I am not done yet...

New goals:
1. Another race in September
2. Run it in under 40 minutes