Alright, here’s the story of my first official 5k. In 2012 I made two New Year’s resolutions: go to yoga at least 8 times a month and run a total of at least 26.2 miles a month. I am glad to inform you that not only I met my goals, but I’ve exceeded them totaling 101 yoga classes throughout the year (average of 8.4/month) and 448 miles (average of 37.3 miles/month).

It did take me 6 months to try another race again. Throughout that period I discovered new places to run in Carson City (the park by the river) while still driving to Reno to go to my favorite spot at Iddlewild Park. Slick was a great motivator for my 3-4 miles runs and once I reached the 10k mark (6.2 miles), I knew I was ready to try a 5k again.

Slick by the running path in Carson City

River by Iddlewild Park in Reno

I chose the 5^th Annual Rock-N-River Race in Reno on May 6^th, 2012 which begins under the Reno Arch downtown and runs through Iddlewild Park. Perfect! My brother’s girlfriend went there to hold my stuff and cheer me up and it actually made it very special to have sort of a family member there for me. At the end of the race I also saw two friends who had run the 10k and the half-marathon; it was fun to share my excitement with them as well. Since I had been running over 3 miles for a while, the race was relatively easy. I completed my run in 30 minutes 53 seconds, which is less than a 10 min/mile. For me, that’s pretty good since all I wanted to do is complete the race. The sense of accomplishment inspired me to keep running. The more you run, the easier it gets (as long as you don’t get an injury along the way.) However, I’m still not a morning person, so I never signed up for a 5k race ever again.

My brother’s girlfriend V.F. and I after my first official 5k in Reno

My friend J.W. who ran the 10k that same day. We finished almost at the same time even though his race was longer.