Wish Walk Run 5k
October 15, 2011
Yesterday was race 5 out of my 6 race goal. This race had a major impact on me in several ways. Just wait...of course I am going to tell you about it. This race was held in conjunction with the What Women Want Expo held at the Shilo Inn. In fact, that is where the race started...right in front of the Shilo Inn. The money raised in this race is going to be used to grant the wishes of two darling little boys. They were the ones who started the race and they were there at the finish line in their wheelchairs...wearing adorable blue shirts. This was the first thing that impacted me. Almost every race that I have run has been to benefit some charity or organization, but seeing them there brought tears to my eyes.
This time for some strange reason I decided to stay more toward the front of the starting line. Usually I head to the back of the pack. I know that I started out a bit faster then I usually do as well. Maybe it was all that confidence from running hard for a few months to get ready. If you recall, I missed running a race in September so I had all this extra time to train.
The course was quite a confusing one at first. It basically ran in a figure eight pattern. Thanks goodness for the people showing me the way...oh yeah and the potatoes along the way that were wrapped in bright pink ribbon (hahaha...so Idaho). The course went from paved sidewalk, to dirt road, to dirt path along the river, and back to paved sidewalk again. I was NOT a fan of this course. Maybe it is because I am still new to running (and something of a wuss), but I hate running on dirt roads and gravel. I probably need to get over that. That spot around the river...though beautiful..was a dirt path with tree roots pushing through.
I ended up right back where I started and gave high-fives to the two cute boys who were waiting for everyone at the finish line. As I ran through I had a feeling that I had reached my goal of completing the race in 30-32 minutes. I was told it was about 31 minutes (although I do not have official times yet). Even so, that means I beat my last time of 35:42. If I think back to my first race in May...this means that I have improved my 5k time by 9 minutes!!! That may not sound amazing to some of you, to this chubby girl...it seems like Everest. What an impact this has had on me. I feel like I can do anything.
I am still awaiting my official time..so I will be sure to keep you updated...next race Thanksgiving Day...chubby girl out!
Final times were posted today. I came in at 33:05. I ranked 51 out of 101 runners....really disappointed, I thought I had done better.
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