I'm Officially a Runner!

It's finally here!!

Race day dawned sunny and cool -- and early. When I was a little girl, I was all about early. These days, before 10:00, you might as well not bother. Regardless, the race began at 9:00. That meant I was up at 7, out the door with Dad and Caroline at 7:45. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. Dad reminded me last night that my body has been conditioned to run; my greatest challenge would be in my mind. Quickly as I ate my cereal and my Chobani, I created a playlist on my iPod of hip-hop songs and good beats (Mann, Cobra StarShip, Sam Tsui, DNC, Jay Sean, New Boyz, Nicki Minaj, etc.). I have to say, I don't think I could have run the entire 5k without my music.

The three of us began the race abreast. After a few minutes, Dad and I broke away from the pack. He ran with me for 2.5 miles. He touched my shoulder shortly after we passed the two-mile mark and said, "I'm going to finish the race with Caroline. You have less than half a mile left. You're gonna do it!" I gave him a thumbs up and I was on my own. His support was all I needed to finish strong. That last half-mile flew by, particularly the huge downhill slope, and the last segment that I sprinted. Just when I thought my legs couldn't handle much more, I found my second wind and I crossed the finish line with the biggest, goofiest grin:

I finished in 37:39.4 (the time on the right began when the competition runners crossed the start line; I timed myself from start line to finish line). Photo thanks goes to my wonderful man, Ian.

Dad and Caroline finished about 8 minutes after I did. I was so thrilled to be able to see them cross the finish line!

Being handed that medal was, without a doubt, the highlight of my day. I knew that I would finish the race, but I felt as if that pink and gold medal signified specifically for me that I had run the entire race without stopping once!

We ate brunch at 3rd Street Diner afterward. My short stack of blueberry pancakes and apple juice hit the spot ;) On the agenda for the rest of the day is (1) basking in the glory of my run and (2) watching Bridalplasty with Caroline. I could not be more proud of the three of us :)

I really cannot say enough good things about wearing compression shorts underneath my running shorts. Not once did I have to tug my shorts down or worry about chafing or sweat. Unfortunately, I felt my headband slipping about a mile into the race. I didn't want to lose it, so I just finished wearing it around my forearm. I ate hair for the second half of the race, but it wasn't the end of the world. Happy race day!

P.S. Thank you to everyone who sent encouraging texts, tweets, emails, and blog comments my way!