**I was waiting to post this until the official race photos came out…but I can’t get a picture on here, until I pay for it…sooo I am tired of waiting…so publish it I will and you will see the picture later!  This race was 2 weeks ago.

Things I learned doing my first official 5k

• official results – the 20 means 20th place among my age group.  There were 20 in my age group!  262 overall.  Not sure how many total 5K runners there were…817 was my bib number.  Not bad.  I finished.

           20  Kim L  MI 817   33   262   52:10   16:50/M

• People are crazy.  When in a mass start, they will push and shove anyone out of the way just to get in front.  It is kind of like getting swam over in a triathlon, except you are running!
• My running is slower than a LOT of people’s walk.  I didn’t mind getting passed by walker’s until my friend passed me.  Then I kicked it up a notch and she didn’t get that much further ahead.
• It is not a good idea to do your longest run EVER (1.5 hours and approx 5 miles) 2 days before you are scheduled to run what is SUPPOSED to be your long run of the week.  Legs are TIGHT!
• City of Wayne, MI policemen are ALL hot!  I thought perhaps it was just the “man in uniform” syndrome, but nope, every last one of them was hot! (I was surprised to see myself noticing this, I don’t usually find guys attractive until I get to know them)
• Something about race day makes running seem exciting when any other day running the same distance seems like drudgery.
• People are crazy.  Correction, I am crazy.  I just PAID money and drove over 40 minutes to do what I could have done for free, 2 miles from my house and on beautiful trails as opposed to city pavement
• I am far stronger now than I was even one month ago.  I took 3 minutes off my last 5K time (the tri) and I never once questioned my ability to get to the finish line.  I didn’t need Coach there with me either being my morale coach so  I could make it!
• At the end of the race, there is a burst of energy that comes out that says “I can run like Forrest!” and makes me run very fast, passing the friend that has been walking in front of me for the last 3 miles!
• There is nothing better than the feeling you get when you cross the finish line and you KNOW that you just did something that you previously thought you would never be able to do…in a million years…
• At the end of the race, all questions I had in my head about this time being different vanished.  I KNOW that this time is different, because I have chosen to make it different, and this time I have chosen to go the distance…until I win. No matter HOW. LONG. IT. TAKES.