A couple months ago, my friend Jessica mentioned on facebook that she’d like to do a 5k. I’d secretly been looking at local races and contemplating giving one a shot, so when I saw her post, I told her I’d do it with her. We were able to find a race and get signed up. The Colors of Courage 5k was sponsored by a local hospital, with proceeds going to benefit uninsured cancer patients. This was definitely a worthy cause, so I was happy to pay the entry fee.
The morning of the race, I was excited. At a little over 3 miles, I wasn’t really concerned about the distance, but I hadn’t prepared for the race like I should have. Early in the summer, I had been walking several miles each day, working on my endurance and time. As the heat and humidity of summer increased, however, I got extremely lax about exercising. I was concerned about the time it would take me to walk to course; I just hoped I wouldn’t finish last!