And so I kept running… even when I was in Cambodia.

Running path in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Well, I did take July of 2012 off because it is just impossible to run in India with all that cow poop on the street, but when I came back, I jumped right into it and signed up for my first 10k. I had just bought a house and there was a race coming up in my brand new neighborhood that actually went right past my street. I thought it would be a great way to celebrate my new life and invite some friends for a pre-house warming party after the race. I wasn’t just going to be tired and smelly by myself though: I made them sign up for the race as well! S.L and B.S. did the 5k, I did the 10k with J.W., and M.H. did the half-marathon.

Of course I arrived only 2 minutes before the race started, but I made it on time. The first and the last miles were a little difficult because they were uphill, but everything in between was a blast. I was in the middle of the pack and after a while I got separated from the group and got a little lost. It was a small race and the signs were lacking on directions. I waited a couple of minutes for someone to pass me and then I just followed that person. If it wasn’t for that, I could’ve finished the race even faster than my 1h06m13s (10:40/mile).

With S.L. and B.S. before the race

With J.W. and Slick after the race

After, everybody came to my new home for breakfast: mimosas and banana-nut muffins. I guess morning races are not so bad after all.

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.

Let me start by telling you how I got to run my first 5k. After I finished my Couch to 5k challenge, I continued to run 2-3 miles on a treadmill. The first time I reached a full 5k (3.1 miles) was on May 19^th 2011 (yes, I remember the exact date) when I had to sub for the Physical Education teacher at my school. I took the students to the gym and to pass my time I started jogging on the treadmill. It took me almost 40 minutes and it was very hard, but so exciting! The weather was getting better and I started to run outside.  I even inspired a couple of friends to jog with me as well. Right around my birthday though, on May 27^th, I had my first running injury: a stress fracture on my 5^th metatarsal (pinky toe bone). I wasn’t supposed to run again for 3 weeks… Although it was disappointing, I was kind of proud of my first running battle wound. That summer I went to Peru and I was able to fit in some jogging time while sightseeing and studying. Wow, fitness was slowly becoming a priority!

In the October of 2011 I signed up for my first 5k: a Susan G. Komen race to benefit breast cancer research. It was the same race I walked a year before and where I had heard about the Couch to 5k program for the first time. As you might know, I hate waking up early; so on the day of the race, I arrived at the spot 20 minutes late, just as the first runners were crossing the finishing line. I did it anyway, late and all! It took me 31 minutes according to my watch, but the announcer didn’t know I had started later than everybody else, so I heard him saying “… and one of our last 5k runners just crossed the finished line.” Since my official time was actually 54 minutes, I don’t really consider this my first official 5k race, but just a training one. I’ll tell you about my real “official” first 5k (you know, the one I actually made it on time) in another post.

My first race ever – 5k in 31 minutes. – Minha primeira corrida – October 2011