One year Anniversary

Do you remember this post "My first 5k"? Today I ran this same race again. Last year I couldn't even run the entire time. This year was a different story. Not only did I run the entire race I hit my goal of running it under 40min. I haven't seen the official time yet but I think it will be around 38:13. I am already planning on running it again next year and have set my goal at 32 min. It's time to "train my weaknesses" which for me is speed. Stadium stairs and hill work here I come!

Here is my running buddy Karen and I after the race. We started our "running journeys" together with this 5k last year and continue to spur each other on. She placed 3rd in our age division today! Obviously speed is not a weakness for her. We both want to do a 1/2 marathon. We are looking into one for next April. Feel free to start praying for me now.


This run was especially fun because we ran it with a group of ladies from our church's women's ministry. Be sure to check out Kim's post about running the race with her daughter.

My first 5k

Yes you read that right!

I participated in my first 5k this past Saturday!

I started running 8 weeks ago with a podcast program from Running Mate Media called 5k 101. I instantly fell in love with it. "Todd" starts you out really slow and builds your confidence and endurance. Every week when it was time to run further and longer I would think "there's no way I can do that" and then I would do it! It is such a sense of accomplishment that it makes you want to keep going.

The only problem is I ran the entire program on my treadmill and at the end you are encouraged to enter a 5k near you. Well that meant running outside and since I had not been running outside I knew my lungs were not going to like the 38 degree weather that was forecasted for the time of the run. I signed up anyway and as anticipated I wasn't able to "run" the entire 3.1 miles BUT I did finish and I helped raise money for Paradise Bound Ministries. That is the mission that my oldest 2 daughters and I served at this past summer in Guatemala.

My friend Karen and I discussing our strategy. She was only on week 7 of the program and still decided to join me. Very impressive! She has been running the outside for the entire program.

And we are off!

Karen ran the entire way! She finished before me. She rocked it! Libby joined me at the end to cheer me on... in her FLIP FLOPS! Who raised that kid?

See? I finished! That was the goal.


We did it! I was SO bummed that I couldn't run the whole thing. I can complete a 5k on the treadmill... in the warmth but I am now even more determined to complete one outside. I am going to start running outside tomorrow. My wonderful family was cheering me on the entire way. I love them. Karen already sent me a link to a 5k in March so stay tuned my 5k story has just begun.