Last night, I completed my first 8K race. (pause for a congratulatory woot! woot!) It was the Rockville Rotary Twilight Runfest – or the Rockville Twilighter for short. 4.97 miles through an urban neighborhood, college campus and town center. I did not train. I should have. I tried but only managed to run once a week (rather than 3 times) and no more than 3 miles, if that. And I’m feeling it today. Oh, boy, am I feeling it today. Stairs are not my friend. I easily ran the first two miles – in light rain and on slick pavement – but got discouraged and walked the next hill. It didn’t help that the second mile marker intersected with the finish line, which runners were crossing at the time (24 minutes in)! I kept going, mostly running, walking more hills. When I got to mile 4, I kept on running. I was determined to finish strong. My running partner and I crossed the finish line in just under an hour (our goal) – 58:57! The highlight for me was hearing my … [Read more...]