Shamrock Run

Thanks to some wonderful friends whose enthusiasm was completely contagious, I signed up for the  Shamrock 5K Run (beneficiary Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation) way back in January when the New Year euphoria was powerful enough to shake me out of the inertia that the after-holidays season tends to put me in.

Well, we were expecting freezing weather, it did snow a bit today, didn't stick. But for the bit of rain which Portlanders don't seem to notice, the run was fun.

The sheer numbers was overwhelming - droves of runners - hard to push through and make a dash for the finish. (Not that I was in any condition to, of course).

Thankfully, 38 minutes after the start, I managed to cross the finish line in one piece, still breathing steadily and not anywhere near collapse (which I would have been had I undertaken this 5K venture 3 years ago).

I am not really a runner, although I'm working towards feeling comfortable enough with 5K to move on to 8K one of these days. I wanted to jot down this event if only to look back and motivate myself for the next event where I can hope to improve upon my performance if possible. And, considering I only started running reluctantly, when I ran out of excuses, about 2 years ago, I have a long way to go...

I met some awesome ladies/moms who run 15K without so much as breaking a sweat. I can only imagine the training and conditioning they must've undergone to get to that comfort level.

Being conscious and vigilant about privacy, especially others' and kids', I decided to blur the picture to keep others anonymous. Since a post feels incomplete without a picture, I desperately wanted to include this which a friend was kind enough to click  right before the run and share. I particularly liked the bright green shirts we sported for the Shamrock Run - and the bright green striped leg warmers which is covered by my long pants.