Let’s see, how to start? Oh yes, it was a beautiful day. I don’t know if anyone reading this is familiar with the Natchez Trace, but this is where this race took place. It’s a parkway that follows the route of an old trail that went from Mississippi to Tennessee and had high traffic from Native Americans and European explorers. There are markers all along the way. People like to bike there and run. It’s nice and wooded with the occasional farm land or cows and there are plenty of deer peeking out of the trees. In other words, this was a nice place to run.

I picked up my best friend we drove down the Natchez Trace Parkway, not really sure of where this place was. Eventually we found it and I hurried over to the registration tables since there was only about 10 minutes until it started. I was running a little late due to childcare issues.

Anyhoo, I get over there and the lady says “You can pay here” and I said that I’d already registered online. She told me to go over to the box by the truck. Apparently she should’ve been more specific, because I found myself rummaging through the box of winning plaques , which were in brown colored envelopes (it was the only box I saw!). And I’d just realized my mistake when one of the race organizers busted me….I joked that that was the only way I was going to get one of those! Anyway, I found the boxes, which were totally not where she said they were.

I lined up with the rest of the runners, toward the back where I belong, and listened to instructions. This was the first race I’d run on a road that was not closed off, so we were warned to watch the traffic. I decided then to not listen to my ipod. I was so incredibly nervous, my tummy felt like it was full of butterflies.

So the gun went off and I ran much faster than I intended, but it felt so good that I kept it up. A lot of people passed me, but I was expecting it, so I didn’t’ sweat it. I just tried to look around at the beautiful surroundings. I was surprised to see another very overweight person running too. I don’t know why, but I felt pride in her and I gave her a smile as I passed her and then later after the race. I won’t make this long and drawn out, but it was a good run. I was a little discouraged around mile 2 when the first speed walker passed me (how in the world can those people WALK a 5k in under 30 minutes?!) But there are always 3 that attend these races and beat the slower runners. Luckily, they were only doing the 5k, so I didn’t have to see how badly they would’ve beaten me at a 10k lol.

Around mile 5 is when I really started getting tired. Some people who were speed walking the whole thing (though I think they may have started out running) went ahead of me and I just let them. Then I saw a guy who’d been in front of me for a good while and decided to focus on getting in front of him. I eventually did and that felt good, but it was hard. Then the last 0.5 miles a lady behind me kept trying to run faster than me so we went back and forth and I think I was like 3 seconds in front of her lol.

But here is the best part: My time was 1:17:50! I can’t believe it! On my training run it took me 1:20 just to do 5.5 miles. Someone told me good job as I finished and that made me feel really good, but made me wonder if I looked pitiful out there. I didn’t place of course, but I felt so happy that I’d done it at such an unexpected time.

I am already very sore. Here is a horrible picture of me after crossing the finish line.