Twenty-Three before Twenty-Four: FIVE.

The fifth thing on my list of Twenty-Three before Twenty-Four was to compete in a 5k. Some of you may already know that Regs and I have been training for this 5k since January. We were doing really well there at the beginning...and then I took a trip to Philly, Regs worked weird hours, I started working in Chesapoop... etc, etc. We didn't get to run together as much as we wanted to towards the end. Since the beginning, our goal has been to finish the race in 30 minutes. (We changed that goal later to 45 minutes...lack of confidence, surplus of doubt.)

Sooooo.....Today was RACE DAY!!!

*Ma and Nini came along and were both geared with a camera to adequately document such a momentous occasion. Thank you, thank you, thank you both!

Before the race: Regs, Rachel (holding an enema plush...eww), Mr. Polyp and Me. We ran Mutt & Jeff's 5k for Colorectal Cancer...

Listening to the extremely confusing pre-race instructions. "Walkers, you must have one foot on the ground at all times. If you're walking then you're not jogging, and if you're not walking then you're running or jogging." (??- I guess you had to be there.)

Woah, baby! Rachel finished in 22 minutes, so she backtracked and found me and Regs just before the 3 mile marker. When Rachel found us, I asked her what time it was. She said 9:02. I was dumbfounded. I knew we started the race at 8:30 and I did the math real quick. "It's only been 32 minutes, Regs!"

Regs and I "sprinted" the last tenth of a mile. I say "sprinted" because our "sprint" was faster than the jog we had been doing, but I don't know that you could call it a full-on sprint. We were SO happy to see the finish line. So extremely happy.

Hot and sweaty. Walking it out and catching my breath.

(Hey Regs, Can we call ourselves "runners" now? =])

Oh yea! When Regs and I rounded the first corner of the course I felt something hitting my ankle. I looked down and wouldn't you know it, my shoe was untied. I didn't dare stop though. No, sir. I ran the entire race (minus about 2/10 mile walk in the middle) with my shoe untied. Thank goodness I was wearing my Nike Free 5.0's or else they would've fallen off. They fit like a glove and feel like a sock so they stayed on and snug without a problem. (Thanks to Barley for suggesting a great running shoe.)

After the race, I think it's safe to say that we were all at least a bit tired. We had to wait around for what seemed like forever for the awards ceremony. I don't know that we would've stayed except for the fact that Rachel's superwoman. (No kidding. She's really great. I forgot she was running until this morning and it was like a special treat to see her there in the parking lot when we pulled in.)

She won "First Woman Overall". Yay, Rachel!!!

I am very happy with the results of the race. Thirty three minutes for my first 5k is a-ok with me. I never thought I'd be able to compete (or even participate) in any type of running event a few years ago, so this was a big accomplishment. I am thankful and proud.

So, there you have it. After the awards, Regs, Ma, Nini and I set off for Cracker Barrel for some delicious breakfast. I was beat by the time me and Ma got home and took a bit of a nap. I took Jonah to see a specialist when I got up. He's feeling much better (...his tension was all off). I'm working on two projects now back-and-forth. One is giving me a headache, and I can't let it get me down.

Lerv to you, bloggy buds. Thanks for the support.

**Happy 2 Years Clean, Barley!**

(You can check out significant things number ONE, TWO, THREE and FOUR too if you've missed them.)