Race Day!

Today, I did something I never thought I would do.

I ran in a 5K race!

I've never been a runner or a fan of running, but whenever I'd watch Matt run in races, part of me wondered what it would be like to give it a try. So, this summer I got my first pair of running shoes and took to the streets. I still call myself a run/walker, but the ratio is starting to tip to the running side of the equation.

In the race today, I ran the entire first mile (of the 3.1 miles total) in just under 11 minutes. After that, I did walk some of the race, but I definitely ran more than I walked. My finishing time was 36 minutes, 47 seconds. I was quite pleased with my time - considering it was my first race experience and it was better than any of my training run times!

Getting ready to race - with my friend, Sara

On the home stretch...

My cheering section and faithful fans!

Heading to the finish line!

Still standing and still smiling!

Motivation

My motivation for taking up running was to lose weight and get in shape.

My motivation for running this week is the 5K I'm signed up for on Saturday morning.

My motivation for running tonight:


I'm headed upstairs to cut my piece of reward (blueberry cream) pie right now!

Healthy enough?

In spite of being knocked down by the stomach flu all week, Matt ran in a 5K race on Saturday! I was thankful to see him still vertical at the end of the race - I wasn't sure how healthy he was after the week we had. Without any training during the week, he still managed to run it in 26 minutes, 13 seconds - a personal race best!


Reaching to give Levi a "high-five" on the way out!

Here he comes - finishing strong!

After the race, we stayed for the parade and then headed to the carnival in the park. The weather was perfect - warm, sunny and not a cloud in the sky!

Levi and his friend, Emmory, had a fun ride on the train - in the caboose car.

Levi tried out the inflated jumping thing, but spent most of his time like this - trying to stand up and jump!

Gettin' Jiggy With It!

Yesterday was Matt's first race of 2008 - The Irish Jig 5K!

The 3-M racing team (brothers: Mike, Matt & Marc) added a new member this year - Mike's wife Sonny who ran her first race ever. Marc's wife Lori, Levi and I maintained our roles as cheerleaders at the start and finish lines!

The race was at 9 AM and when we got out of the van at
8 AM I think it was about 32 degrees outside. There were over 1500 runners in Matt's race. As you can see in the second picture, he decided to hang out toward the back of the pack at the starting line - he thought it would be less depressing than being passed by a lot of runners! He finished the race still standing (goal #1) and with an official time of 28:05 (close to his goal of 9 minute miles).

All bundled up to watch Daddy race!

Seriously, Matt - the race started 3 minutes ago!

Maybe you should pick up the pace and take your hands out of your pockets?? Oh, yeah - that's right, there are 1500 people ahead of you!!

The Finish line is in sight!

Sonny nearing the end of her race!
(middle of the picture - wearing sunglasses)

Way to go, Daddy - I'm so proud of you!
(And thanks for sharing your banana with me!)

Call Me Garfield

Tomorrow morning is Matt's first race of 2008.

Levi and I will be cheering (and shivering) from the sidelines.

If there's a donut shop on the way to the race, I just might be eating a donut with my coffee while cheering.

Maybe one of these days Matt's resolve to run will rub off on me...or then again, maybe not!

Race Day!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Matt has been training to run in a 5K race and today was the day! The weather was absolutely gorgeous for a race. Levi and I had great seats near the start/finish line as we watched and cheered for Matt while he ran an awesome race - his first ever!! His official time was 27 minutes, 52 seconds - quite a bit better than his goal of a half hour. Way to go, Matt - I am so proud of you!

Here are some pictures from the race...