my first 5K

This morning I ran (ran/walked) my first 5K! I finished in 43:09 (I thought they called out 41, but close enough.) I walked more than I would have liked, but I am nursing a right-leg shin splint that just won't die, and I didn't want to injure myself. 

It was the first race in my adventure to the Big Sur 9-Miler on April 28. The race today actually felt really good. I was surprised at my own ability and I really think I can do much better next time, now that I know what to expect. The first mile hurt and seemed to take forever. Miles #2 and #3 were easy-breezy! I actually ran more at the end than I did at the beginning. It was kind of amazing. I am really proud of myself! It gives me a lot of room for improvement for my next race. I feel a little bit of my old-swimmer competitive side kicking in, for sure!

Yup, it was a record-cold morning in San Jose. 34 degrees. Brrr!

I got there much, much too early. I hid out in my car
after getting my bib, shirt, and tracker, just to stay warm!
(First race jitters!)

Self-portrait right before. Just to prove, you know, I did it :)

The start/finish line.

This was my running buddy Mina. She's a friend-of-a-friend who
happened to be in the area and ran with me! She's quite a bit faster than me, though!

Post-race, with my earned beads. Happy Mardi Gras! And no,
no pics of my face after. LOL. It wasn't pretty :)

I had a great time. I can't wait to do it again! But maybe if it's a bit warmer :)

This afternoon, I was looking forward to a cool-down walk to help my poor sore muscles, and Justin wanted to try out our new hiking backpack. He found us a flat-trail path around a lake in Mountain View (home of Google! In fact, they have corporate facilities all around this lake and park. It's a pretty amazing setup.)

The kids enjoyed it. Jack was a bit tired and he is nursing a wicked chapped face from being outside/in school/at the park. He kept saying it burned but he wouldn't let me put medicine on it. Poor kid. It made him pretty miserable. But we still managed to hike about 2.8 miles!

Caroline enjoying a ride on Daddy's back. She LOVED the backpack!

Playing on the Pirate Ship Park.

My turn carrying baby girl. Ouch.

Feeding the ducks...rocks.

"Come on Jack, you are too slow. Let's move on."
"NO!! I DON'T WANT TO!!!!!!!"

My shadow. Cool.

Mini-clones. All freaking three of them.

On the move.

Everyone crashed when we got home. (Including two who are still sleeping. Guess who
they are?? Hint: NOT ME and NOT JACK.) I just had to snap this, because she has one
binky in her mouth and one in her hand. She's so silly :)