My first 10k!

The summer after Jillian was born, I decided that I wanted to start running to help get back into shape and lose all the baby fat. I have never been a serious runner before and so it was a rough start, but by the end of the summer, I really enjoyed running and was in the best shape of my life. But I never signed up to do any races. This summer, I’ve gotten back into running and wanted to enter some 5k and 10k races. I was planning on running my first 5k on the 4^th of July, but it got canceled. Then, I planned on running a race in Sheridan the week we were there visiting Michael’s parents, but it turns out the race was actually the week before we would be there.

But I did finally get to run one. I ran my first 10k last Saturday! It was really fun. I enjoyed the course and the feeling I got as I crossed the finish line. I felt like I made good time (though I’m going to try and improve my time for the next one at the end of August) and even placed 3^rd in my age group.

Before:

After:
 

Michael, being the wonderful, supportive husband that he is, wanted to be supportive so he got all the kids up early and drove the 25 minutes to the neighboring town where the race was held. Unfortunately due to preparation for a parade that was happening later that day, he hit some unexpected traffic in town and didn’t make it time to see me cross the finish line. Annabelle was so upset that she didn’t get to cheer for me that she started bawling. She definitely inherited that ability to cry at everything from me. I love that she wanted to be there for me at the end and of course I almost started to cry. But after eating a donut and drinking some chocolate milk that was available for the runners, she felt better.

I am so grateful I am healthy and able to exercise. Running has really become a major part of my life. Not only does it help me get rid of the baby fat and keep me in shape, but it also gives me a chance to push myself to do something that I’ve never really done before. I can see the physical effects of it, but I also feel mentally recharged when I get back from a run. Perhaps after I get a few 10ks under my belt this summer, I can set my goals even higher and try for a race that’s a little longer. We’ll see.

My friend down the street ran the 10k too. It was her first one as well and she also placed 3rd in her age group.You go, Mary!