I did it - I really did it!

So of you may know that a while back I started out walking while I have been slowly working my way up to running. I set a goal that seemed unimaginable when I started out of doing a 5K run. Well...today was the day. I ran my first race. It was so great. I was a little nervous this morning (hense the 12 trips to the bathroom before I even left the house this morning) but I was confident that I could do it. I have been running the 5K distance for a couple of weeks now. Shannon was my cheerleader the whole way. She kept me entertained with stories all along the trail. She even apologized for "talking too much" but it helped so much. She is a MUCH faster runner than I am and she was so great to just go at my pace the whole time. She is a great friend and a super cheerleader.
I was going to be happy to be in under 45 minutes. (I am still REALLY slow - I am working on that starting next week) I was going to be excited to be at 42minutes because that was as fast as I had ever been able to do it in and guess what I came in at 41:19! Whoo hoo. Definitely a personal best.
I know that it was only a 5K. I realize that I am still such a novice at running, but there was such an amazing sense of accomplishment that came from finishing that first race. There are some people that I feel that I must thank that helped make this possible. (Kind of like an Oscar speech I guess - I hope that I do not forget anyone)

Shannon - for being my cheerleader today and staying with me the whole time. For checking on my training along the way and lending me her old copies of Runner's World
My Rocklin girlfriends - who have set a great example for me of how empowering running can be
Christine - who bought me my first pair of real running socks when she heard that I had started running and lent me a great motivating book, "Running for women"
Debbie - for giving me pep talks along the way and sending me her food log and great articles on healthy eating
Amber - who has run with me on Friday mornings and has sent me encouraging emails along the way
Jennie - for a late night "good luck" phone call the night before the race
Rachelle and Kristin - for checking on my progress over these past few months and have talked down from some ledges when I wanted to just quit
Kristin P -for her kind words of encouragement and genuine interest in how the training was coming
Brooklyn - for being my running partner on some very early Monday mornings before school
My Biggest Loser Group - who have sent many kind words encouraging me to do well and who are out with me getting out booties kicked by Angela :)
The 80 year old grandma that I see out on my run most mornings - for yelling "You go girl" when I was at the end of my run and I just wanted to walk and needed to break through a mileage barrier
My mom - for coming to the race to cheer me on and checking on my progress every morning
Cameron and Angel - for loaning me the Garmin GPS watch so I could pace myself and train better
and last but not least Charles - who takes the brunt of all of this. He has been getting the kids ready for school in the morning, dealing with my emotional breakdowns that have come with this process, who has been so excited for me as a have broke through some huge barriers and reminds me how far I have come and not how far I have to go, who ran down the last 50 yards of the race cheering me on while taking pictures and videoing, who doesn't mind when I bother him at work just to remind him of a new mileage barrier that I broke through that morning.Gotta love him!
There have been many others that have stopped me and been so kind. Small words of encouragement always help so much.

Here's to the next Race.....Eppie's Ironwoman 7-19-08??? Let me sleep on it.



Shannon and I at the finish line. And I am done!