5Killing our first 5K!

Carlie and I did something this weekend that we have been looking forward to for a what seems like a very long time now... we ran our first 5k! This has been one of our goals for quite sometime. We would talk about it as being a sort of milestone in our fitness journey, kind of a way to show ourselves how far we have come. However, it was a strange experience having this dream of being able to take on a 5K race and having it turn into some sort of looming monster of fear on the morning of the race.
Carlie and I woke up at about 7:30(after dreaming about running all night) and began to get ready for our big day. I started by preparing our morning shakes(Carlie is gracious enough to pretend to like-though she usually only manages to drink half) before we got dressed for the race. The forecast showed a high of 45 with rain expected throughout the morning, and while I wasn't thrilled with the idea of running in the rain, I thought it better than blistering heat. We arrived early at the Aquatic Center for registration and were greeted by my brother Kent, with his coffee in hand and a wide smile on his face, a welcoming sight which helped calm my nerves a bit. He was there supporting his wife Sara, who was managing the event(and doing a fantastic job of it!). We registered ourselves and then waited with Kent for the race to begin.
The course followed the road around Willow Park, across Golf Course Road, onto the Logan River Trail, with a turn-around point somewhere along the trail, following back around the east side of the Fair Grounds, and up 4oo South back to the Aquatic Center(I lost you back at the park, huh?)
When the race began Carlie and I had no intentions of trying to be first, we just knew that we didn't exactly want to be last. When the signal was given we began at a steady pace down the road, with the crowd moving together as some large procession of bodies trying to accommodate space for one another and not take up the entire road, and I couldn't help but look around me and wonder who would keep up the pace and who would begin to fall behind. I didn't have much time to think on it as the crowd slowly began to thin out, with the faster runners gaining distance, while some others began to slow their pace. My pace was Carlie.
As the groups began to dissipate into couples and singles, Carlie and I steadily kept passing more and more runners... until the trail. The trail is a beautiful pathway that winds along with the river through the trees and follows along side the golf course. Unfortunately the trail also hosted the turnaround spot on it, so runners needed to stay to one side to allow returning runners to pass. This was difficult for me because I found myself(stuck) behind runners who ran at a slower pace, making it difficult to keep a steady rhythm, so when I had a chance I passed those few running in front of me which meant having to leave Carlie behind and alone for part of the trail portion. That's when I began to dwindle.
I made it off of the trail and slowed my pace for a few moments so that Carlie could rejoin me and then... She just kept going. My breathing was becoming much more labored, and I was struggling to find a rhythm, all I could do was try to stay on my wife's heels and not fall behind. I kept trying to ask her if she wanted to walk for a moment, just to catch our breath, but all that was coming out was an incoherent string of words like, "Baby...".... "I can't...."..... "I just".... "It's so..." "If we could just..."... But she just kept going. That's when we passed the last 1/2 mile mark. I could see the finish up ahead, and all thoughts turned to just having this thing over with. I looked over and Carlie, and without saying a thing she understood and gave me an approving nod, for a moment I pictured myself back in the gym on the treadmill on the last round of intervals, and with that began sprinting to the end. In hindsight, it was a pretty spectacular thing because I can say we truly gave our all, even to the point of wondering if my legs could keep up long enough to cross the line. Thankfully, they did. I crossed the finish just under 26 with Carlie close behind me at just over 26 minutes.
While Carlie and I have run farther than this many times, this is the farthest we have ever run without stopping, and while we weren't the first ones, we definitely weren't the last!
(Warning- Sappy stuff ahead!) It was an incredible experience to turn this "what-if" kind of goal into a reality and doing it with real heart. It was a joy to be able to run it with my Wife and best friend whom without I never would have truly pushed myself. And I look forward to make new goals and seeing just what else we can accomplish together!