This weekend was PERFECT for my first ever 5K road race! I signed up, and raised $90, for the Mystic Aquarium's Run (or walk) for the Penguins on Saturday, October 18.
The morning dawned cool and clear, and I woke at 6:30am to eat a few eggs for breakfast (with plenty of time to digest before the event!). I got to the Aquarium around 8:15 to get registered and warmed up. About 200 people had pre-registered, and another 300 or so showed up on Saturday! They ended up delaying the start by 10 minutes to allow all the new folks to get registered. 
There were two very bored looking penguins at the starting line to get us going.
The race itself was a lot of fun. We ran part of the course on back roads in small neighborhoods, so there was hardly any traffic. The course also ran through a field scattered with not-quite-ripe pumpkins and along a trail in the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Preserve. I was somewhat unprepared for the two seemingly large hills, but am still proud of my finishing time (race results will be posted here...eventually). I jogged more than I walked, but didn't push myself to the point of pain.
The best part, though, is now that I have completed a race I know that it is something I can do. Just a few months ago I would not have imagined myself as the kind of person to run races (I used to claim "I only run when I'm being chased"). Now, I'm looking forward to the 27th Annual Knights of Columbus 5K in Westerly on November 9. I plan on taking part in at least four 5k races over the course of 2009 and hope to be able to jog the entire way by this time next year. The fact that I'm doing this for myself and my health makes it even sweeter. I may never come in first, but it's the journey, and the process, that matters to me!
After the race I baked a batch of yummy Whole Wheat Oatmeal Peanut Butter cookies and walked over to Westerly for Sammy's 3rd Birthday Party!
After a little encouragement, Sammy was willing to share his bat with the other kids.
"I had cake for you, but I eated it..."
The Girls!
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