running a race

It's been a long time since I've actually participated in a race of any kind. I use to run all the time with my Dad and Mom and we use to have some kind of fun. Usually though they were fun runs that usually meant 3k or 5k races. It wasn't so much to get a good time but to go and enjoy ourselves and to take home a t-shirt.

Well, in hopes of getting back in shape and working towards one of my many goals I thought it was high time I started to make some head way in accomplishing one of my goals for this year which is running a 1/2 marathon.
Dwayne and I use to run all the time in Penang, Malaysia and we were running on a daily basis 8-10k so this first step to accomplishing my goal didn't seem unattainable but it was a bit scary because I really wanted to run the whole thing! :)

On April 13th the race time was 6am for the 10k which they called a mini marathon :) that makes it sound so much better, don't you think? Well, anyway, Dwayne got up with me as the kids slept hard in their beds. We arrived just in the nick of time as they were gathering all the racers. I swear the older I get the less punctual I become! :)

Here are a few pictures. :) Dwayne was cheering me on at the finish line and so were some other friends as well. Dad, the finish line was at the top of a hill, I guess they felt we needed to push a little harder? I don't know if you remember Missionary hill but it was a slow winding gradual hill. Well, anyway, I finished the race with 1:07:11. I was hoping for under an hour but this course was hilly and I had been training on a treadmill and flat roads needless to say, this gal had to walk at the watering holes. I can't run and drink anyway so I took those opportunities to give my lungs some reprieve.

I'll be training on this course now 2 days a week. The marathon I'll be running is in the south of Thailand and it is pretty hilly there! :)

Enjoy the pictures.

Oh, and Mom and Dad you would be pleased to know that I finished 4th in my age group. Want to know the Knee slapper? Well, they gave me the 50 and over trophy! HA, HA , Ha... When Dwayne and I saw that we just busted out laughing and I'm smiling even as I'm thinking about it!

it's great accomplishing those little steps along the way in reaching my GOAL!

I'll have more on my Marathon Dreaming in weeks ahead...