The Great Glow Run: My First 5k

photo by Bryan H.

photo by Bryan H.

On Saturday May 11, 2013 I participated in my very first 5k! I was called the Great Glow Run and the proceeds went to the Easter Seals UCP an organization that is committed to providing services to children and adults with disabilities and their families. 

I ran this 5k with my friends Cathy and Cassie. I could not have done it without their support and encouragement! Running with friends made it so much fun! The run was at Dorthea Dix Park in downtown Raleigh. Below is a map of the 3.2 mile course.

I decided to participate in the Great Glow Run because I want to experience a 5k, but let be honest, it's intimidating for a first timer who only recently started running on a regular basis. I thought running my first race at night would make it easier and more exciting, and I was right!

My goal for this race was to show up, run/jog as much as possible and make it to the finish line in under 1 hour. My official time was 47 minutes and 48 seconds and I came in at 780th place out of 1,000. I count that as a victory! The race results were counted electronically by a chip that was attached to the back of every runners bib. Once the data was uploaded I was able to access my results online. This totally may be standard for all races, but I think it's really cool. Hey, I'm newbie, I'm allowed to get excited!

A really fun and unique aspect of this race is that since we were in the middle of the pack, we were constantly picking up glow sticks that other runners had dropped along the way. Cathy ended up with a ton by the end of the race!

My favorite thing about the course was that as we were running we could see the Raleigh skyline at night from the park. It was beautiful!

 
The parts that didn't shine as bright were poor parking direction coming in and going out, having to pay for glow sticks, (I feel that at least one glow stick should have been included in the packet with the ticket price) and having the course double back and overlap at times so there were people coming toward us while we was running.

Here are some fun shots from the race taken by the event staff:

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Participating in this was not a walk in the park (haha) for me. It really pushed my athletic capabilities and I even got a chest cramp about half ay through, but I felt so good as I sprinted across the finish line with Cassie and Cathy. I am so glad that I signed up and I hope it comes back next year!

Have you ever participated in a 5k? Share your experience in the comments! 

Weekend Recap

Photo by Cassie P.

Good Morning!

Is the weekend over already? Seriously? 

On Friday evening I went to the beautiful Bond Metro Park with a few friends to see our friend Cathy perform in the Cary Town Band for the very first time! We packed up an amazing picnic and went to support Cathy, (who is the second youngest member of the band) play her way through Sousa marches and Civil War era overtures. We also learned what a Polonaise is and the difference between Light Cavalry and Heavy Cavalry... The crowd at the concert was a little stiff (why can't you dance around to the Star Spangled Spectacular?) but we had a good time and most importantly, we are so proud of Cathy!

After the concert I met Aaron, who had gone to Durham to see Amy Schumer's stand up comedy show at DPAC, back at our apartment for a drink and a few kitten snuggles.

On Saturday I made the mistake of going to the Whole Foods on Wade Ave. around the same time that the NC State graduation let out from the PNC arena. I totally forgot about graduation! Downtown was packed with NCSU grads in bright red caps and gowns. Congrats to all of the class of 2013 grads!

After lunch Aaron and I stayed out of the rain and started to play the new Tomb Raider game that was released earlier this year. When I say that we played it that really means Aaron plays and does really well and I sit next to him and shout out "left!" "right!" "watch out!". 

On Saturday evening I went to Dorthea Dix Park with Cassie and Cathy to run in the Great Glow Run 5k! Even though I have been training for the past 6 weeks, I was still so nervous!!! I will write more about it in a post once the event photos are posted, but it was a really positive experience and I am so glad that I signed up! After the run we went to a party to see our friends and to celebrate the NSCU grads!

After a long Saturday Aaron and I decided to take it easy on Sunday morning. We enjoyed smoothies while we watched HGTV and eventually motivated ourselves to get up off of the couch and go to CostCo and Trader Joe's.

When we got back from running errands we spotted a pile of discarded furniture near the dumpster. Because of graduation, it was a big move out weekend, which basically means free stuff if you are lucky! We went over to investigate and found a coffee table! We decided that it wasn't in the best shape, but it's sturdy and mostly in need of a wipe down and a coat of paint. 

The rest of the day was spent watching Game of Thrones season 1 with commentary, video chatting with family, doing laundry and relaxing.

I hope that you had an amazing weekend like I did!