38:18

(Apologies for the shocking lack of blog posts in the past couple of weeks. I have decided that Weight Watchers is to blame. Not only is scrutinizing the volume and content of everything you put in your mouth a timesuck; it's also quite boring. My posts would go something like: "Spent 30 minutes at the grocery store comparing different types of 'light' salad dressing. Found a bleu cheese dressing with only 2 mg fat per serving - victory! The search for a reasonably priced kitchen scale with a digital display continues." I'd much rather play Super Princess Peach than type variations on that sad theme every evening.)

My main goal when running a 5K is to finish the entire thing without stopping to walk. So far, I've been able to do this every time. (Of course, the 5K I ran this weekend was only the third I've run in my life, so I still think of this as a "goal" rather than a "given.")

My secondary goal is to beat 35 minutes, the time I posted in my first 5K. I did not do that yesterday. That's OK, though, because I finished the entire race, even though my dad and I haven't run in a few months. (We've switched to some program where we power-walk while pumping weights in the air. We look like big dorks.)

The race I ran yesterday was the Strides of March Carrot Run, benefiting the Nutrition Council of Greater Cincinnati. It's a small run - especially if, like my mom, the only run you've ever done is Race for the Cure. I would say there were maybe 250 people there total for the 5K walk, 5K run, and 10K run. Compare that to the 50,000 people at Race For the Cure, and it starts to sound positively puny.

But I like it. It's a nice little run to kick off the season, and the Nutrition Council puts their own fun twist on it. In addition to the usual post-race recovery food (bagels, fruit), they serve delicious, healthy soups and provide the recipes for them. (Last year it was spicy lentil; this year, meatless minestrone. Yum!) They also have a person in a carrot costume wandering around at the start/finish line and a person in a banana suit at the turnaround point. It's nice being cheered on by a big piece of produce.

Plus, the T-shirt is pretty awesome:


It's funny. I don't particularly like running, I certainly don't like running long distances, and I DEFINITELY don't like cutting my evening short so I can wake up at 6:30 a.m. on a weekend morning. But I like 5Ks. I think it's because they're so festive - the atmosphere overshadows the actual running part. Already, I've nearly forgotten how I was thinking about giving up after about 200 yards - instead, I'll remember being cheered on by that giant carrot as I gasped my way over the finish line.

And maybe in a few weeks at the Heart Mini, I'll break 35 minutes.