#3

I got up at 5:23 am on the 4th to get ready and go run (well, actually it was more like slow jog) a 5K...who out of y 'all out there can top that??? :) (Kelly, you can't answer that--"Ms. 15K"!!) And keep in mind, I'd just participated in another one just six days earlier. ...What am I, crazy? Yep. Sure am. :) ...My cousin asked me if I wanted to do this one with her about a month ago. So, I was able to get registered as myself; it was a new experience, being counted among my same gender and age group! :) For whatever reason, said cousin and I had a hullabaloo (really like the word, so I'm makin' it work) of a time getting the logistics of when & where to meet worked out...and then it turned out we didn't meet at that time or location...but, that's OK. We finally met up with each other, got pinned (bib) & tagged (computer chip), I passed off my stuff (keys, cell phone, camera) to her husband and then we headed for the starting line. The race began almost directly outside the old, dilapidated house where Peter lived when he was going to BYU before we got married. Oh, the memories. :) Another gal from her ward/our Bunco group found us and we chatted a bit. Finally, an hour and a half-ish after I got up, we began the 5K. I should interject here how amazed I was at how many people participated in this event! (There was a 10K and 1 mile also going on simultaneously.) It was like a freakish convention for oddballs who like to run--who PAY to run. Like I said, I'm crazy. :) Anyway, the three of us trudged along together, dodging walkers, strollers and even slower joggers than we as we went. I remember at one point thinking that I would've thought we'd be to the first turn in the course by then; but then I realized I was probably comparing it to the plethora of times I'd driven down that road. Though I had my "running mix" on the iPod blaring in my ears, I did catch faded tones of cheers & applause from those already in position for the parade to start 2 hours later (talk about crazy), which did kinda feel good. We passed by the water stations. We passed by the 2nd mile marker. And then, we turned northbound for the final mile-ish, ALL UPHILL. Ugh. I tried to just focus on the 'right in front of me'. The first handful of 10K-ers began to pass us by though. (Their course overlapped with ours and finished in the same spot.) Good for them, but geez, a bit difficult to witness when I'm already in some pain, gasping for breath, and telling my legs to keep moving me forward! ...When I saw the 3 mile marker--not sure why, I found a burst of adrenaline within me, and broke away from my cousin to stride across that finish line. (At this point, the other gal had left both cousin & me in the dust--actually she only finished 23 seconds before me, but that's a lot in running...and she was worried about keeping up with us with her short legs...HAAA!) Once again, I did it. Me and my 'still overweight, still trying to get in better shape' self completed yet another 5K. ...Here are my official results: time--37:23, place--1,264th out of 1,667 overall and 621st out of 897 females (what percentages do I end up with, Ms. "Lover of Numbers", Donna??) ... Not bad, eh? I must say that for whatever reason, I have had a hard time recovering after this 5K. Maybe it's because I'd just done one before this one. Maybe it's because I need new shoes. Maybe I didn't stretch enough. Or maybe it's a compilation of it all. I was wiped out afterward. Thankfully, I got to collapse on the bed for a bit of a nap that afternoon. Unfortunately, the next morning I had that "been run over by a truck" feeling again so we didn't make it to my cousin's sister's daughter's baptism. (Sorry!) And earlier today, I was sitting on the ground cross-legged, talking with a friend when I dropped my hand down (I was probably talking with my hands) on my right shin and OWWWW...still so sore. I'm keepin' on keepin' on though. It might just be a while before I embark on my next 5K... :)

Oh, pictures are pending; I'm not thrilled with the pictures from my camera, so I'm waiting to get the photos that my Aunt took......