5K NO WAY!

5 am came way too fast. I slept in my Race for Roses 2011 shirt, not for good luck, but to stretch it out because it was obvious that the sizing chart on the website was inaccurate (not in a good way). 5:30 am I ate toast with peanut butter and jelly and half a 6 oz container of Dannon Lite & Fit Key Lime yogurt (hoping that it would keep me light and fit). A little after 6 Megan and I were in her car making the 20 minute commute from Vancouver, WA to downtown Portland. There was an unwanted and unwelcome guest in the car, my nerves. I had been telling them all morning that they were not allowed to come along for the ride and that I was going to finish this 5K despite their nagging "you can't do a 5K, you've never done one before" "what if you start with the half marathoners...then you'll look EXTRA dumb" 
As it was getting more light out around 7 am we arrived at the Oregon Convention Center (my nerves as well). We met up with Megan's co-worker Nicole. Thankfully I didn't line up with the half marathoners and by 7:25 am the 3 of us lined up by the sign that read 8-9 minute mile. I thought this was pretty ambitious knowing that during my training I had always been around a 13 minute mile (give or take). Anyway, we vowed that no full time walkers or previously pregnant women with strollers were going to pass us, and I nervously laughed and tried to hide my fear of failure behind jokes and sarcastic remarks about men in short shorts. 
Right on time at 7:35 am I crossed the start line and pushed the silver button on my $7 Wal-Mart watch to start what I considered to be the race of my life. I was use to the treadmill where I had the security of the treadmill belt pulling me along, but now I knew I was under my own WOmanpower. My plan was to do intervals, run 5 minutes and walk for 1 minute until I finished the race. As I found a pace that was comfortable I looked at my watch and I had been running for almost 5 minutes. I thought to myself "wow, that was fast...keep running" so I felt I could go for another solid 5 minutes. The streets were lined with local high school cheerleaders with pom poms and drum cores urging me to run with every beat of their drum. I never in a million years thought I would be the one running, I was so use to being the one who cheered others on. (Many meaning in that statement). I looked down at my watch again it was almost 10 minutes. I looked up to see the 1 mile marker! "NO WAY! I had just run a 10 minute mile and MAN I still had a lot left in me!" Despite my joy and excitement I decided to walk for 1 minute. The last thing I needed it to wear myself out 1 mile into the thing. I didn't let myself give up and I picked up my feet and started running again after my 1 minute was up. I walked 3 more times for about 1 minute each during the race. The toughest part was right after the 3 mile mark was an on ramp with a pretty significant incline we had to go up to reach the flat bridge, before the downhill to the finish. I ran up the whole on ramp and walked for a minute when I reached the bridge. 
Then I heard it. The MC Guy on the microphone that was super annoying at 7 am in the morning, now sounded like Bob Barker telling me I had just won the Final Showcase with a NEW CAR! I ran...I couldn't see the guy yet, but I could hear him and that was close enough for me. Off the bridge I went, past the high school drum core, and around the corner to where I could see the finish line. Picking up the pace I think is an understatement, I felt like a cheetah going in for the kill. All I could see was the finish line and someone holding a rose that was promised to me when I paid my entry fee. I crossed the finish line in a daze of disbelief, "had I done it? is it over? where's the water?!" I drank 2 full cups, received my beautiful yellow rose (which might as well been made of gold) and turned to look for Megan and Nicole. They finished a couple minutes behind me and I got the be the cheerleader for them.
My purple Wal-Mart watch had stopped working at the top of the on ramp so I wasn't sure of my finishing time. It had stopped at 30 minutes, so I knew I had to have bettered my 40 minute goal. That was good enough for me! I was on top of the world and wanted to do it again!
We went inside and over to the official time scoring sheets. My official time was 33 minutes & 50 seconds. Correction...I KILLED my 40 minute goal! I kicked it to the curb, knocked it out of the park, just like Nomar WICKED FAH! 
I'm hooked, completely. After this feeling of accomplishment, of doing something I'd never thought I'd do...there's no way I could stop. Why would I deny myself this feeling? 
The next race I am doing with Megan and Nicole is called the Doggie Dash in May. Our team name is "Scoop the Poop" lol needless to say I'm in! I'm in for that doggie doo doo.