Today I can proudly announce that I have officially completed one of my New Years Resolutions for 2011. I ran a 5K. I completed a race. I am no longer someone that just reads other running blogs and healthy living blogs… I got out there and did it myself.

The pride, excitement, happiness and glory I felt crossing that finish line was unbelievable. I couldn’t believe that completing my first race was achieved. I had done it! But before we get there, let’s start from the very beginning….

My first-race experience began yesterday with the packet pickup which was held at an adorable, independently owned and local women’s athletic apparel store, BettySport. I love that a local organization teamed up with a local store for the registration… The store gets a heavier traffic flow and 20% of proceeds from BettySport went to the charity as well. Win-win!

As we were doing the registration and picking up our shirts and swag bag, the GOTR girl told me that I was actually signed up as a Running Buddy. A Running Buddy was someone who gets paired up with one of the young girls running the race (aged 8 to 13) to help push them through, encourage them throughout the race and act as a guardian as they run.

I had put mine and Adam’s names down to be Running Buddies a few weeks ago but never received official confirmation. When the girl told me that we ARE official running buddies I was ECSTATIC! That also meant that all goals and times are thrown out the window now… We were no longer running for us, we were running for and with the girls and it is now all about them.

After a 6am wake-up this morning we were out of the house at 6:45 with a quick stop at Starbucks, getting us to the park at 7:20. The race began at 8, however we were told to be there by 7:30 to get paired up with our buddies. The sun was beginning to rise and there was a chill in the air… I haven’t been up this early in YEARS unless it is to jump on a plane. It was so nice to be outside, hearing the birds chirp and feel the excitement in the air.

The head coaches of GOTR lead everyone in a big group stretch to get everyone loosened up for the run. There were also people doing hair in a Goody sponsored tent, a booth with an MC on a mic making announcements and playing music like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, and bottles of water and Powerade getting passed out for pre-run hydration.

At about this point our team joined us. We drug two of our instructors Braeden (left), Cary (center) and Adam’s good friend Tyler (right) to do the race with us. They came, got their bibs and joined us for the stretch.

Then we finally got paired up with our Running Buddies! We actually ended up with 3 beautiful girls, Alexis, Leticia and Sharon. These girls were SO excited and SO eager to start the race. They told us all about their practices and how they run 4 times a week. They were making me nervous because I wasn’t sure if I would be able to keep up with them. Kids have so much energy…

Very shortly thereafter we all lined up behind the big inflatable arch, sang the National Anthem, did a countdown from 10 and then it was blast off. And let me confirm that YES, kids have a TON of energy. As soon as the whistle blew these girls just TOOK OFF. One thing they were not taught (or completely forgot about) is pacing. They full-on sprinted, as fast as they absolutely could, as soon as the race began. It was almost impossible to see the girls, let alone run with them, because their little 10-year-old bodies were weaving through the crowd full speed ahead.

But as you can guess, they lost steam really quickly and about 2 minutes in they took their first walking break to catch their breath and relax. It was then that Adam and I told them that we had a few miles to go and that they shouldn’t use up all their energy right away. So once they were able to stop wheezing and could breathe normally we were able to get them jogging at a comfortable pace.

The first 1.5 miles of the course were actually really tough. It had rained a lot over the past few days and the grounds were insanely muddy and slippery. We actually saw people slipping and falling into the mud because it was hard to get solid footing. Other parts of the course were covered in wood chips which, again, is hard to get solid footing on and there were a zillion ants nests that we had to dodge the entire way as well.

Our girls kept trucking along though and with the first water stop, which was just under 1 mile in, the girls took another walking break. Braeden was a GREAT sport and also stuck with the girls to help push them along. Those two were quicker than the other girl and they kept pace ahead of us almost the entire race.

After the first 1.5 mile of tough running terrain the course turned out to be beautiful. We ran towards this gorgeous lake and around it while the sun was still rising and shining brightly overhead. At about mile 2 I could tell our girl was struggling a bit so Adam and I talked a lot by asking her silly questions like what her favorite music is (pop), who her favorite singer is (Selena Gomez), if the Jonas Brothers are still cool (not as much, but still a little bit) and what her favorite subject in school is (math). The goal was to get her mind off running and make it as fun as we could!

After our 2nd water station at about 2.5 miles in the course ended up being completely uphill. It wasn’t a super steep incline, but enough to make your body work harder and use different muscles. This was where our girls were struggling the most, with good reason, so we came up with setting goals to encourage them.

We would say things like “When we pass that tree up there we’re going to start running again” and “Let’s try to pass the people in the pink shirts ahead of us.” That got a bit of a competitive streak in them which helped them to run harder.

Adam did SO WELL at encouraging them the whole way, making jokes, telling the girls they were super fast and tiring him out, and pushing them the whole way. I love when I get to see sneak peaks at what Daddy Adam will be like one day.

Once we hit the top of that hill it was about .25 miles to the finish line. When the girls could actually see the finish line they got so excited and we told them that they had to run the rest of the way. The parents, friends and coordinators all lined up along the side to cheer on the girls and encourage them for the final stretch. I wanted to take a picture of it, but I was too busy cheering on the girls and (literally) had my hand on their backs to gently guide them, not let them slow down and push them to the finish.

And they did it! The girls finished their very first race! As soon as we crossed that finish line they were given their pretty pink medals, bottles of water and Powerade. They were all hot, sweaty and full of pride. And about 10 seconds after we crossed the line the MC announced that the time was 37 minutes into the race, which meant we finished in under 37 minutes. As I said, Adam and I were no longer running for time but I definitely think we would have hit our original goal of a sub-35:00 5K.

The best part was the food spread afterwards. They had a whole table full of varieties of breakfast tacos, donuts, bagels and pretty pink cupcakes. Our girls quickly went over to the food table to grab those breakfast tacos and eat them as fast as they could. Running really does make you hungry afterwards! And they needed to replace those lost carbs and replenish their bodies with electrolytes.

We then got to meet up with the guys and found out that Tyler (far left) was actually the overall winner of the race! He was the very first runner to cross the finish line and completed in about 23 minutes (this wasn’t an “official” race so there were no time chips, but the coordinators called his time at just past 23 minutes as he crossed the finish line). There was a guy on a bike leading the first group of runners through the trail and he kept up with the bike almost the whole way.

Tyler is a former Army Ranger and Special Forces Operator, so even though he hadn’t done any endurance or cardio training in a very long time, we were not at all surprised that he came in 1st.

We wrapped up the morning with a few group pictures, high-fives to the girls, cheering on the other runners who were still coming in, and chanting “Girls On the Run is SO MUCH FUN!”

This run was a great introduction to the racing world. It was actually the best way to break into racing because the pressure wasn’t on me anymore, the focus was on the girls, getting them to complete the race, hit their goals and have fun while doing it… Now that I know I can run a sub-37:00 5K with three 10-year-old girls, a muddy and slippery route, walking breaks every 3 minutes, and a half uphill course I am ready to jump into another race and do it for real.

With our Half Marathon coming up in August I want to see if we can squeeze another 5K or even a 10K in. It will help prepare me for the big race and keep my training on track.

Have you ever ran a race as a Running Buddy (even if it’s just with a friend)? Do you like having a partner to run with and help you through a race? Have you ran smaller races to prepare for a bigger one? Please share your experiences with me! I’m excited to learn more about this running world.