That was my time for my first ever 5K—the Women Can Run 5K.

I was a little worried yesterday when looking at the weather forecast, as I really didn’t want to repeat last Saturday and be put in the position again of whether or not to run. But the storms made their way through during the night (thanks, David, for getting up with Sasha so I could sleep!) and by this morning it was absolutely beautiful. Rather than being hot and steamy after the rain, cooler, drier air had moved in and it was wonderful.

I’ve been running at about a 10-minute-mile pace, and sometimes a little faster, so I expected to make or beat that pace since I’ve heard that race-day enthusiasm makes you run better. But, somehow, I took that “pace yourself” thing a little too far and came in at a 10:08 mile. (They use timing chips, so that was my actual time, not time spent waiting for the crowd to pass the start line.) I even ran the whole way except for a few seconds of walking while I was sipping water. It’s still a good time; I’m just surprised.

David and Anna came to see me at the finish line, and we hung around a bit while I got my snacks (which I of course had to share with Anna) and waited for others to finish. We had parked at Laurel Park, so we walked back to our cars and David went on home while I played with Anna a little while. I stopped back by Conway Regional so I could see my time, which I’m glad I did since it’s still not posted on the internet yet as of this writing.

I actually felt pretty good after running… well, not immediately after, but within 5 minutes. I take that to mean I’m in pretty good shape. There was a time when running left me feeling drained for the rest of the day.

I guess you can say I’m hooked now, because I just signed up for the Paws on the Pavement 5K next Saturday in Little Rock. Hey, it benefits an animal rescue group. How could I not do it, right? :) And I’m thinking about running the Lum N Abner 5K in Mena while we’re there for my family reunion, especially if one or more of my family members is running it.

And do not ask me if I’m doing the Soaring Wings half-marathon. If they decide to have a half-half-half-marathon, I’ll do it.

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