Only Grace: New Years Resolution...CHECK!

So in January I made about 15 different resolutions for the year 2011. One of those resolutions was to "run" [participate] in a 5k this year. I was telling Hannie this on the phone one day and she told me that she too was "picking up running". She had joined a running club and was going to run a 5k as well. I then told her how I had always wanted to participate in the Bolder Boulder, to which she responded, Let's do it! So in January we agreed to do it.

I "trained" pretty well from January to about April. I routinely went to the gym and used the treadmill, slowly increasing the amount of time I was "running" [jogging?]. Then April hit and chaos of the end of the year erupted all around me. I stopped going to the gym, but continued to walk 2 miles Monday through Friday with Peggy before school every morning.

Two weeks ago when Hannah and I registered for the Bolder Boulder we were discussing what wave to be in. I had my doubts about my ability to actually do this, but the plane ticket was bought & I had agreed. We registered in the Walk/Jog--mostly walking category. We felt that would be a safe place for us.

Today we went to Boulder. Our start time was 9:15 AM. We left Aurora around 7 AM to ensure we didn't miss our start time. Our friend, Susie, who lives in Colorado Springs, also joined us, as did Ryan's sister. I still couldn't believe that I was really about to do this. 10k is 6.21 miles!!!! That's going to take at least 90 minutes! And it was in Boulder--not exactly the flatlands of Nebraska! The summit of the race was five thousand, three hundred, and some odd feet. There were 2 hills...the last one into the stadium for the last, maybe 300-400 meters of the race! It was a looooooooooooong race!

I had decided that I was going to finish it in 90 minutes. So 90 minutes divided by 10k means completing a kilometer every 9 minutes. I started my timer as soon as we crossed the start line. Every time I would see a sign ahead, I would check my watch. I ran some, I jogged some, I walked most of it (after all, I registered to participate in the mostly walking heat). Here's my results...1 hour, 30 minutes, and 31 seconds. I'd say my pace was right on target for what I wanted to accomplish!

Here are some pictures from the day. Ryan took them. He never saw Susie, Lyssa, or I at the hill/finish line, but he did get a picture of Hannie at the end. He did a good job of documenting the crazy costumes and the masses of people there. These are just a few of the ones he took.