My First Race

I ran a 5K today!Those are not words I ever thought I would type.  So I can’t believe what I did this morning!Let me start by saying, I never considered myself a runner.  I hated running up until about 3 weeks ago.  I started running somewhat frequently for the last two weeks with my dog, always around about 2 miles, and I realized how fun it was especially when it was just Charm and me with nothing else to bother us.  Last week realized the Rock n Roll series was coming through Nashville soon.  I have a bunch of friends and coworkers who were running the marathon or the half, and when I realized there was also a 5K, I just had a spark of crazy and decided I wanted to do it.  Thank goodness my friend Ryan was excited to run too - I knew I didn’t want to do it on my own!  I ran about 2.5 miles last weekend while I was in Chicago but that was the farthest I had ever run consecutively.  Today started out rainy and gloomy, and we ended up getting delayed twice for lightning.  It downpoured for about 5 minutes, so we got nice and soaked, and after about 35 minutes of waiting (some of it under cover - thank goodness) we finally got the clear to start.  I heard there were about 3,000 people doing the 5K and about 30,000 doing the half or the marathon. Insane!  So many crowds - it was amazing.The race itself was pretty great - Nashville is a wonderful city to run in.  The best parts of the race were running past the THOUSANDS of cheering marathon and half runners getting ready for their start, the cheerleaders dressed head to toe in pink cheering us on, and the general sense of “We can do it” and positivity.  I always feel so fulfilled when I’m surrounded by positivity.  Right around mile 2.6 there was a bit of a hill that I initially dreaded, but you know what, I never stopped jogging, and it was all downhill from there. It was so cool to see people of all different ages and abilities running around me...talk about inspiring!  What a fun event!  It ended at Nissan stadium with lots of snacks, pictures, and general merriment, and with bands sprinkled throughout the race, it really takes advantage of everything Nashville has to offer.  I’m thinking about shooting for the half next year - we’ll see!  I’ve got to get a few more 5Ks and 10Ks under my belt first.  It would definitely be a fun race, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun half or marathon!