My first 5K run!

My biggest goal this summer was to run a 5K. I started running last fall to stay in shape while I was in Bologna, since my friend and I were too cheap to join a gym, and I really liked it. At the beginning of the summer I was running about 2 miles each time I ran (maybe 3 times a week) and I decided that a 5K race (which is 3.1 miles) in August would be a good goal. If you had asked me last summer if I would ever run a 5K, I would have laughed. But today I DID IT!

I searched for a 5K run training schedule online, and decided on this one. I didn't do every single run it suggested, but I more or less stuck to it for 6 weeks. This morning, my mom and I drove to Southampton for Ellen's Run, which raises money for breast cancer research. It was really hot, and there was almost no shade on the route, but there were hundreds of people, and it was a lot of fun. My time was 30 minutes and 39 seconds - which averages out to a 9:52 minute mile, although I was running faster and slower at different points. I was sooooo surprised with that time, since I was expecting to do about a 12 minute mile, and I was very happy. Not bad for a first run! The adrenaline must have kicked in somewhere along the way. I'm sore now but very satisfied. My mom walked the route (but ran for one minute!) and came in at about 57 minutes. Hopefully next summer I can talk someone into running the 5K with me!