5 Weeks to 5K

I did it! I finished my first 5K this weekend (3.1 miles). I registered for it 5 weeks ago with NO running experience and a serious case of being Out-Of-Shape! I needed the motivation of an actual race to get my butt off the couch and training!

I broke my 5 weeks down kind of like this....

Week 1: Jog 1 mile, walk when needed
Week 2: Run/walk 1 mile
Week 3: Run/walk 2 miles
Week 4: Run 2 miles, no walking
Week 5: Run/walk 3 miles

There were a few days those last couple of weeks that I just couldn't do the full time, so I did a quick 1-mile to get a little run in, just so I wouldn't skip a day. I ran 2-3 days a week.

Hubby came for the race Saturday! It was great to see him at the finish line, and he took a few pictures for me along the way!

Ready to race early in the morning. You can see the stadium in the background.

Super-nervous...lined up ready to start! I managed to sneak in a smile though.

Coming up the final stretch....still smiling! This course was FULL of hills.

All done! I finished in 31.22 minutes, below my goal time! I came in first in my age group too which was a surprise to me!

One more picture with the stadium in the background. I love me some Death Valley!

I'm looking forward to doing more races. Now that I've finished one and know I can do it I'm going to keep up the running to stay in shape. It only takes about 30 minutes to run a few miles and it's a great way to wind down after work.

What have you been doing to stay in shape??? Any other runners out there??