Anyone who knows me knows that I actually enjoy running. It clears my head, helps relieve stress and is something I consider fun. I haven't been running in so long. My treadmill has been back in California for the last four months, and its finally here in Florida with me. This means I can actually run more often, which is good.
Being that I hadn't ran in so long, I actually "joined" a running club. Okay, so I'm not an official member of the club just yet, as I have to run with them 9 more times to be a real member, but whatever. I joined their silly little club, none the less. Don't laugh, and no comments, but its with an Irish Pub down by the beach. After I run with them 10 times, I am privy to their 'world famous' shirt. With the shirt, comes a sense of pride, belonging, and a discount on beer and food at the pub. Now, you probably won't find me sitting inside drinking beer with people I don't know, and you definitely won't find me drinking and then driving home. I'm sure it will be some time before I make any friends that are already a part of the group. The run with them was fun, and it felt so good to get back out there. They run every Tuesday night at 6 PM. The route they run along is by the water, which of course is a big bonus for me. The route is 3.19 miles long, so its just slightly longer than a 5K. I hope to run with them more often and on a regular basis.
Okay, so back to the 5K. Liz totally bailed on me and didn't do it. I was really bummed because I was looking forward to doing something fun with her. We woke up before the crack of dawn, 5 AM, and we drove the hour to Orange Beach, AL. We were one of the first to arrive to the event, which made things a little less chaotic. I signed in, and picked up my t-shirt, racing packet, and timing chip. I was a little nervous, but also excited to do this. This was my first race, and surely wouldn't be the last!
The race started at 8 AM for people that were running the half marathon (13.5 miles) yikes!! Maybe next year I will have built up enough endurance to brave the run. The 5K (3.1 miles) race started at 8:10 AM. It took me 35 minutes and 27 seconds to run 3.1 miles. The track had way more hills than I was anticipating. As one lady put it, "Who knew the beach was so hilly!" I averaged each mile at about 11 miles per minute which to me is beyond awful. My focus now is to bring my time down, and work on endurance and stamina. Overall, I finished 5th out of 29 women in my age division between the ages of 25-29. And out of all of the women in the race, I finished 55th out of 241.
I am proud of my accomplishment, and I am very much looking forward to the next event. I'm not too sure what the next event is, but I am currently preparing for the Double Bridge Run in February of next year. I am going to try to complete the entire run, which is a 15K (9.3 miles). The course for this run crosses two bridges (hence the double bridge name), that lead to Pensacola Beach. These two bridges are pretty steep, and I'm not looking forward to that, but I am prepared to train for it. Wish me luck!!!!
Here are the pics from my first race!
The boys staying warm in the truck before the race.
Mark and Ryleigh staying warm in the truck before the race.
Me before the race, trying to stay warm!
Getting things started!
Starting the race off...
FINISHED!!!!!
My first bib from my first race!
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