I did it!

Did what??? Ran a 5k, that's what! I found out that there was a race scheduled in St. George for January 22nd so I decided to go for it and see if I could do it. I have been wanting to for a while and figured I would go for it. If nothing else I would just get in a good walk! So, bright and early last Saturday morning I got up and ate a good breakfast and then got j ready to go to the babysitter's for a couple of hours. Dropped him off and headed to the Dixie Center for my big 5k debut :) It was packed when I got there and I had to walk a quarter mile from where I parked just to get to the starting point! It was also freezing cold (around 37 degrees or so) so I was glad to have a little walk to get warmed up. I was nervous cuz my whole life I have hated running. But there was no turning back. I stretched and gathered with everyone else at the starting point...countdown from 10...BANG...and off we went! I jogged the first half mile until the crowd thinned out a little bit. Then I walked...when I got about 20 feet passed the 1 mile marker I decided to go for it and see how far I could jog without stopping. I made it another half mile to the turn around point and stopped for literally 2 seconds to get a sip of water and then kept on going. Before I knew it I could see the finish line...and I was still jogging! Thrilled with myself for not giving in and walking, I pressed forward. Of course AC/DC and Ozzy Osborne had something to do with that...thank you Karl for suggesting I take my ipod with me! As the finish line got closer, I got more and more excited so I kept going and voila...crossed the finish line in 46:23! I did it! I ran 2.5 of the 3.1 miles on the course and 2 of those miles were consecutive! It was a personal triumph! I felt like a million bucks afterward! I walked for a bit to cool down and then I stretched and walked back to my car. Picked up J from the babysitter's and we went home! My legs never got sore but because I wore my old tennis shoes to run in, the sides of my feet ached all week. I could hardly walk on Sunday...but I survived. Needless to say, I went and got a pair of running shoes the other day! The right pair of shoes really does make all the difference! I had a great time running the 5k and now I have to eat my words and tell my boss that she isn't crazy for loving to run...well maybe she's just a little crazy :) I am hooked now and am looking forward to my next race in Delta in February!

Proof that I actually did it!

Nearing the turn around point...

Approaching the finish line...
VICTORY!!!

So this is one new year's resolution I can officially mark as achieved! The other resolutions are still being worked on, some more than others. I'm sure they will be works in progress throughout the year. I am very proud of myself from completing this race...now on to the next one!