I can wear the watch!

A while ago, I wrote about how much I would like to start running again and how I had purchased a new running watch that I wasn’t allowed to wear until I ran a race.

My watch, with my niece's brightly-colored feet in the background

On a chilly October morning, Nate and I (along with most of his family) dragged ourselves out of bed far too early, pulled on our running shoes, and ran a 5K.

On the way to the race

It wasn’t quite as terrible as I thought it was going to be, but I’m definitely not going to run the 5K on New Year’s Eve with my family!

My Prize Water Bottle!

I even got second place in my age group for women!  It was a very small race.  I think I came in over 30 minutes.  My time was bad enough that I don’t remember, and, as you can see from the watch photo, I didn’t save my time.

But I’m glad I ran it.  I knew I could, even though I hadn’t run for several weeks.  I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to run the whole way, or that I would pull one of my famous puking-down-the-chute tricks.  It was cold an I hadn’t warmed up; I couldn’t feel my legs both the first and last miles.  But I made it!  I ran the whole way and I know that I could do it again.

I won’t be running until it gets warmer out.  I made a deal with myself that if I was “runner” enough by autumn, I could buy some winter running clothes.  I didn’t make the cut, so I didn’t spend the money.  I’m spending winter working on other things in my life, and I hope to start running again next spring!