Here it is, Monday morning and I'm finally getting time to write about my weekend. What a weekend it was!
Friday we had an oyster bbq with my parents and some friends. I doubt I've ever had oysters that were this delicious! They were perfect! I had to get home "early" (9:30pm) so I could be sure to get enough sleep for my big day in the morning. Yeah right! I got home early, but do you think I could sleep? No way! I don't think I actually fell asleep until 3am! Ugh...I was just too excited and anxious!
Saturday - 6:30 am - my alarm goes off. Up and at 'em. Breakfast, check. Running shoes, check. Teeth brushed, check. We ended up getting to the high school early...so we had to hang around for a bit. There were so many familiar faces there. Old high school classmates mostly. It was fun to see everyone. What a perfect morning for the Shuck 'N Run 5k. Cloudy, no rain, cool, but not cold. Perfect!
My goal for the 5k was to jog the whole way. I had yet to do 3.2 miles of continuous jogging. The most I'd done was 2.75 miles. On a track. Running on a track is completely different from running on concrete. No shock absorption. Plus, a track is flat. Roads change in elevation. It's a completely different ball game. But I was ready for it! I was excited!
There were 101 people who ran/walked the 5k this year. It was exciting to see the levels of experience and different age groups and even the different levels of intensity. Some people were there to WIN! Others were there to have fun. There were old people and kids. Professional runners and beginners. It was a perfect mix of people.
The run started and we were off. Getting to mile 2 was fine. No worries. After that...it was a mind game. My body wanted me to walk for just a bit but my mind kept telling me, "No, we're almost done! Keep going!" When I got near the point where I could see the finish line, I started tearing up. I couldn't cry or else I'd run out of breath, but I had tears running down my face. I couldn't help it. I was so proud of myself for DOING it!!! Once I got close to the finish line, I heard the screams and claps. I didn't know who they were cheering on, but it was exciting to hear. Then, I noticed it was MY FAMILY and FRIENDS there cheering ME on!!! They surprised me. I had no idea they were going to be there in full force! My mom and dad, hubby and kids (I knew they'd be there), sister and her kids, best friend and her baby...what a fan club! :-)
Once I crossed the finish line, I didn't collapse in exhaustion (like I thought I would have); I felt GREAT! Exhilarated! Rushed! I told my dad, "I think I caught the fever!" I cannot WAIT to run more, get better and a little faster. I definitely won't rush it. I may have finished towards the end of the pack (#96th out of 101 - hehehe) but seriously, I don't care! I FINISHED!!! I, Janeen, did a 5k and couldn't be more proud of myself! And it only took me 43 minutes. :-)
