I ran!

So, my husband thinks that because he is training for several races, that I must want to keep up. Yesterday, he essentially sent me to run a 5K. Because I am so obedient, he didn't have to throw me out of the house and lock the door, but he threatened to.

On the drive over, I had that short-of-breath, I-think-that-I-could-throw-up feeling that I always get when I think about racing and as I type race reports (right now!) Just like at the last two races that I went to, I met a woman who was running her first race. I am a new runner magnet! The format of this run was different in that runners were given a handicap. I was supposed to start running when the clock had counted down to 7.04, but I missed it and started at 6.32. The nerves then pushed me to run to catch up the missed 30 seconds in the first half mile of the course. Since I always run the first part of a run too fast, this didn't bode well for a negative split and a well-run race. I had fun for the first half. I'm not sure where the pain won, but when I made the last turn and looked along the trail to the finish nearly half a mile away, I thought that I would rather walk than run right then. I knew that it was time to pick up the pace, but my mind refused to cooperate. I finally did kick it in, when a female runner tried to pass me near the finish. I guess, I finally decided to stop being lazy. Miracle of miracles, my split time was only six seconds slower for the second half. Amazing for me for a normal race, but even more so since I was in panic mode for the first mile or so. I was rather pleased with the time. Not my fastest 5K, but respectable only six months after baby number four and especially considering that I was up nursing at 3:15 a.m. the night before. I'll take it. I'm not sure that I want to run another for awhile, but I did run at least one!