They say a picture’s worth a thousand words.  That picture right there is worth a million.

As my short but sweet post yesterday told you, I. FREAKIN. DID. IT.  I finished my first 5K ever with an official time of 33:28 which was right where I wanted to be.  (I told myself I didn’t really have a goal time in mind but all kidding aside, I wanted a time between 33 and 36 minutes.) 

So, another first for me… My Race Recap!

Place    Name             No. Div/Tot     Div    Ag S City     St   Time   Pace 
224 Marie Torto     149  48/64    F2029 22 F Lynn  MA 33:38  10:50

The Highs:

The weather – sure, it was chilly when we got there but it was cloudy and breezy and I think that’s what kept me from getting overheated.

The route – I cheated and totally mapped it out ahead of time but knowing exactly where I was going and knowing how much further I had to go was great for my first race.

My t-shirt – I bought a plain BRIGHT orange t-shirt and ironed RUN on the front and MY FIRST 5K, 5-14-11 on the back.  Throughout the whole race, people were telling me what a great job I was doing and to keep going.  It was so motivating and made me want to finish strong.

Tracie’s heart monitor – It kept my time for the race so I knew how I was doing.  When I saw that I could finish in my goal time, I knew investing in a Garmin would be something I would do in the future.

The Crowd/My Entourage – So compared to huge marathons, this was a pretty small race with a little more than 350 participants but what can you expect from a small town 5K?  Nevertheless, the crowd was super supportive.  At the 1.5 mile, there was a water station with little kids holding out bathroom cups of water.  It was precious.  I grabbed one and proceeded to spill it all over me but oh well.  It was the thought that counted.  AND I may have had the biggest group there.  My mom, little sister Melissa, cousin Ali, Aunt Deb, Stephen, Claire, Tracie AND April (also known as Ariel) were all there cheering me on with signs, pom poms and a million flashing cameras.  I felt like a celebrity.

The Finish Line/Time Clock:  When I saw it from the original starting line at 33:something, I pushed.  I guess surged is the right word.  I ran hard, fist pumping over the finish line before collapsing into Stephen’s arms.  And I cried.  Whatever, I’m an emotional person, it was bound to happen.  I felt more than accomplished, I felt incredible. 

Not-So-Highs:

My stomach – Just as I passed the 2 mile marker, my stomach did a somersault.  There was an incline and as much as I wanted to push through it, I listened to my body and took a short break to walk.  It was either that or grossing out the other runners.  I picked it back up as I rounded the corner to the Causeway for the end of the race.  Smart move.

 The nerves – I was so nervous the night before and all morning on Saturday.  I was able to shake them off (and I didn’t get sick, thank God) but hopefully next time they will back off a bit.

Post Race:

 I spent the rest of my day RELAXING.  I ate a bagel when I got home and treated myself to some Starbucks.  Then I passed out on the couch for 2 hours only to be woken up by Stephen’s ringtone.  I pulled myself off the comfy couch, made myself pretty and headed out to celebrate this cutie’s 3rd birthday.  (And made Mickey Mouse cupcakes for it!)  We had a great time.

Thank you…

To my mom, dad, Melissa, Ali, Aunt Deb, Stephen, Claire, Tracie & April for coming to support me at my race.  To Christine, Aron, Ali and all of those other running bloggers out there who I look to for advice.  To my friends and family who believed in me.  I couldn’t have done it without you.

So what next?

I guess the big question is am I going to keep running?  My answer: Just try to stop me!  I would’ve signed up for another race on Saturday when I got home but I have to get my summer dance schedule from NDA first.  So my summer will pretty much be all dance and running. I don’t hate it.  I do know that I want to run the YMCA’s Witch City 5K in Salem this October.  And there is a 5-miler in August that I’ll try to work up to as well.

I’m unstoppable.

How was your first race?  How many have you done since then?  Have any around the Massachusetts North Shore that you’d recommend?