1st 5k Race of the Year!

Getting up at 6:30 am isn't my thing, but in anticipation of my 7am alarm my body woke up! (Funny how that happens) Today is my first 5k race- ever! Trying to maneuver quietly around the house while making breakfast and trying to find my missing running shoes should earn me some serious points. Finally, I hear a knock on the front door, Laila is here to pick me up.

Why does it always have to rain when I'm about to go running? Just wondering.

We arrive at Ester Shore Park and it's still drizzling. A beautiful Washington morning! lol! I get my registration packet and shiver while waiting for things to begin. Laila, being a traitor to the PNW has brought an umbrella! ;) Every time one of us moves I almost lose an eye to the murderous umbrella, lol! I still crack up thinking out it! A lady with a speaker headset is trying to get people to join in some early morning group exercises and sadly, no one is joining in. She's just bouncing around by herself to some really energetic music. Finally the call is in, time to go to the starting line.

They use an air horn to signal the start, but it doesn't work! Hahaha! We just all kind of go, "oh we should probably get moving." The path we're on curves around, going under the 1-5 bridge into Portland and slides past the Columbia River. The 10k runners continue to run alongside the river and we 5ks turn to the left and head on a steep path up and over rd 500. We continue heading to Fort Vancouver and curve as we head to Officers Row. We take a right and circle back the way we came. Two fit looking women my age are ahead of me. On the climb back over rd 500 I catch up to them. I pass them running downhill. Coming back along the river we are at the same pace. Keeping pace with these two made it a little easier to keep me from slowing down. 500 feet from the finish line I pick up my pace, breaking away from the two women. I dig deep and sprint to the finish.

Legs are wobbly, face is probably red, and I made a 30 minute 20 second time according to one of the volunteers! Heck yes! I made an average of a 9:40 mile! That's like a two minute or more drop from my last event in November!!!

Must celebrate this occasion! Both of us get a hair cut, enjoy fresh bagels, and have a fashion show at a local store while trying on clothes (did I mention I lost about 1 or 2 pant sizes?) and I find a pair of sweet Levi's for half of the normal price.

Today is a very good, sweet kind of day.