5K at 55

When I turned 50, I thought about running a 5K.  After running around the block for a few weeks and feeling like I was going to die, I decided that running was over rated and gave up the idea.  For some reason, the desire came back to me this year and I really wanted to run this time.  Problem was that now I was 5 years older and it was harder. I  realize that there are those who run 3 miles for a warm up run but I've never been a runner and 3 miles was a stretch for me.

So last Saturday was the big day.  Can you see the excitement on my face?

Although I could run 3 miles here in Arizona, the run was in Utah and the altitude was tough.  Not only that, but the race ended on an uphill slope.  My time wasn't as good as I had hoped but I did finish the race.  Imagine my surprise when my name was called for a medal...third place for my age category (never mind that there were only 4 runners in my age).   I beat 40 other runners...most of them younger than me.

Will I ever run another race?  I've decided that it's a little bit like being pregnant/giving birth.  You hate every minute of it but when it's over, you forget about the pain and want to do it again.  So who knows...maybe I will.  I think I can improve on my time.

Lessons Learned:
1.  running is harder than it looks
2.  it feels good to set a goal and accomplish it
3.  I loved having people along the trail cheering me on and giving me encouragement
4.  it felt good to cross the finish line and know I did my best
5.  running a race has a lot of comparisons to life.