5K....Check!

Well friends, we did it! We completed our very first 5K. It was a fun experience-- we started by going to the Reston YMCA to pick up our race packets on Friday evening. It felt so official- they gave us our bibs, our t-shirts, and this cool little thing that goes on your shoe to time you. (I didn't really vocalize how cool I thought they were while we were there-- then people would know I was an amateur....)I had to save face in front of all my new runner friends-- at least until the next morning. I picked up Caitlin up around 7:30 AM and we were off. On the way there we tried to set goals for ourselves. Win? OK probably not realistic....Finish? OK that's a little too easy. Finish in under 45 minutes? This was a real goal, a real number. We arrived, parked and headed to the area where our fellow runners were congregating. We watched what other runners around us were doing and followed suit. Yea stretching, of course, we always stretch before our big races. I looked around, didn't see any familiar faces, Caitlin mused that perhaps it was because none of our friends had the natural athletic ability that we, obviously, had. True. We headed to the starting line and waited. The group of almost 3000 runners had to be split up, and so you had to choose-- were you going to participate with the "Runners" or with the "Joggers and Walkers?" We knew our place and got in line with the joggers and walkers. We spent the next ten minutes A. being nervous and B. judging the running gear of those around us. Yes we're talking to you elastic waist Jean Shorts. No one is winning in those. Soon they announced that the participants would be released in 2 waves, and that our group was NOT, I repeat NOT supposed to run at the sound of the first air horn. I thought that was rather anti-climatic, "GO!, no no not you-- you go later. Air horn #2." But we did as we were told. The first air horn sounded and off our faster friends went...we waited patiently for our respective air horn-- sadly the little air horn was running out of steam, so the second group started off with the saddest little noise you've ever heard. What a metaphor. Off we went anyway.

We started off strong, fairly certain we had this thing, but after the first mile or so we ended up walking at a pace similar to that of a mall walker. When we could we ran again, and continued our nice pattern of running and walking. We set small goals for ourselves throughout the race in the form of who we wanted to get in front of, and for a while, it worked for us. However, for whatever reason these two older (not THAT old-- that would be embarrassing) ladies decided they had some vendetta against us, and they would speed up to get in front of us every chance they got. We decided to play it cool, let them be in front now-- we'd get them in the last leg of the race. One of them was wearing running sandals-- how serious could they be?

The rest of the race went pretty smooth, the Restonians we came into contact with were very supportive and cheered everyone on as they ran through the streets. As we came up to the final stretch we kicked it up a notch, smoking those older broads, and breezing through the finish line. We did it! Our wonderful friends Nicole and Dave were waiting for us at the finish line! They joined us in celebration with water bottles and bananas. Success!