"Huffin' for Healthy Hooters"

That was the name of an all-male team of runners at the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Kansas City. hehe

I was a bit inspired by all my athletic friends, like Natalie, and decided to give running a go. Now my family isn't really a "running"/"cardio" type family so all published race times are to be viewed with that in mind. That said, I was really proud that I ran in my first race on Sunday August 9th. The Race for the Cure 5k was the perfect opportunity to test the waters for my new hobby because the cause means a lot to my family. There is a whole legacy of breast cancer survivors on my maternal side so there's no time like the present to start fighting it.

Here is how it all started:

A couple weeks ago I decided that I'd attempt to start running as my main form of exercise. I bought the book "The Complete Book of Running for Women" and a new pair of running shoes and started hitting the park paths about 3 or so days a week.

After I discovered that I could run at least 3 or 4 miles without stopping it was time to try a race. Boy was I nervous that I would end up finishing with all the grandmas...not that there aren't some grandmas who could still kick my rear!! I saw some amazing people out there.

I joined 28,500 people in downtown Kansas City at 7:30am for the big race. I was amazing to see that many people out supporting the cause. There were people running with tags to mourn and celebrate friends and family who had fought breast cancer. It was hard not to both smile and get choked up at the beginning of the race.

(I know it looks like I'm speed walking in the picture...trust me...i runnin'!)

After the gun shot it was a struggle to get started at a decent pace with this many people but i somehow managed to run the entire hilly/windy 5k without stopping. And.....I was only 3 seconds from breaking 30minutes. The pic above is just before the finish line. All in all I would consider it a successful first race and I will be much less nervous for the next one!