seconds do matter

if you've read a couple of the previous posts, then you knew that i attempted to run my first 5K that benefits a local day care (the fees help aide tuition) over the weekend. i seriously thought that in order to prevent death, i was going to walk for the most part of the race...but set a goal of 30 minutes. yea, i play soccer, but it's not a continuous running sport.

i entered the race with a team (team Kazu, yea!) of six, but had plans on walking by myself. right before the race, my good friend and team member ask if we could run together cause she hadn't been feeling well. whatevs, i thought...even though i knew that she runs on a daily basis. i even said: "if one of us wants to walk, lets walk...k?" and she obliged. two minutes into the race, i wanted to drop dead, but Liza didn't let me stop she said that if we stopped, we would never start...pfff...i thought to myself. the weather could not have been more perfect and we were running right by the river and it was gorgeous. not even half way through the race (1/3 me thinks), people were already making their way towards the finish line (winner gets $250!). i was out of breath and possibly thinking that death was the better option...i kept telling Liza i was going to walk, and she's answer with 'get to the sign or get to that cone' and so i kept on going, each time i passed a mark, i got a little bit of energy. finally, going up a crazy and seemingly never ending hill, i decided it was time for me to start walking. my legs felt like jello, but walking up a hill was easier said than done! i was power walking up a stinking hill just to keep up so after a minute of power walking then running, power walking then running, i decided that i should just continue to run.

coming down that hill was a breeze and then we got over the next (smaller) hill after that. i got a bit more energy when i knew the finish line was nearing and yelled for Liza and our other teammate, Kristen, to keep pushing. all three of us finished consecutively. my time was 29.55 mins. yup, you read right, 29.55...5 tenths of a second before my goal...i'll take that.


Liza and i right before the race.

Brian whizzing passed us!


the hill (taken while walking)...i took a camera...how ridiculous, right?

the team after the race.

thanks to Liza, i made it in just above my goal. who knows what time i would have finished had i been running alone? i was so proud of everyone on our team (to the left of tall guy is his mom and aunt!) what's next, you ask? we might do a 25 mile bike ride!