A "Fun" Run

(This does say Strawberry Days 5k, but I can't figure out how to make it shrink to fit :)

So I decided a couple of months ago that I needed to run this 5k.  I mean, it's really only 3.2 miles, I think, and I should be able to run such a thing . . . right?  So I made my sister, Anna, and my sister-in-law, Mini, sign up to run it with me.  The time for training came and went with little progress from me.  I know that I, for the most part, like to run.  I haven't been great at it the last 6 months, but I know that when the going gets tough, Natalie gets a-runnin!  But anyone on the street could probably run 3.2 miles once in their life!  So this morning was the great and dreadful day of the race.  I say race, but really, the only thing that I was hoping for was finishing the dumb thing by my own power :) and I didn't want to finish dead last.

The first mile, friends, was cake.  If you know Pleasant Grove at all, the first mile was from the High School to the rec (meaning . . . all down hill).  I thought to myself "Well, Natalie, this should be a good run.  The first mile is ALWAYS the worst."  Except today.  By mile two, I thought that maybe this whole running thing isn't such a good deal for me.  The last mile.  Hm, how to describe the last mile.  Well, I just wanted it to be over.  My lungs were burning, my legs were on fire, and maybe my back was screaming a little.  Just a little, nothing to cry over, right?

The hope going in was to finish this "fun run", if you will, in less than 45 minutes.  I figured, maybe some friends would sign up just for the walk, and I could finish before them and feel good about myself :)  But I'm SO excited to report that we finished in just over 33 minutes.  Don't worry, that placed me 30th out of 38 in my age bracket.  Sheesh, those are some tough and QUICK ladies!!   Maybe, just maybe, there is a could be a future of running in my life!!  We'll see . . .