I had my first 5K race of the year this past Saturday! And I was actually looking forward to it. I had run it once before in 2019 and signed up for it this year once registration was open. I ran it with my friend, Katie, who I did the race with three years ago.

I’ve been trying to run a few times a week in preparation for this race to just get myself back into running shape. But my goal for this one was just to have fun and not come in last.

The race started at 10:00 a.m., so we got there around 9:45ish. Some of her family was running the race, too, so we met up with them beforehand. There’s a 10K option as well, and that group went out first right at 10:00, while the 5K group went out about five minutes later.

The weather was actually pretty nice for that morning, in the high 40s and the sun was peaking through the clouds. Having run the race before, I sort of remembered the course and tried my best to pace myself.

There were signs throughout the route that were pretty funny, like “Remember you paid to do this,” “At least you’re not at work,” “You know you didn’t have to do this, right?” and “Do you need us to call you an Uber?” I also saw at least 12 dogs on the course; since the route goes through residential neighborhoods, people were out in their driveways and on their front lawns to cheer everyone on. It’s always nice to have people cheering you on, even if they’re complete strangers.

I ended up running the first 1.7 miles before stopping to walk and taking advantage of one of the water stops. I knew there was a hill toward the end, and I tried my best to run up it but slowed down toward the top. I made sure, though, that I ran the end to cross the finish line.

My final time was 34:25, which is only like 30 seconds more than my 2019 time for the race. I was 185th out of 373 overall and 76th out of 210 in gender.

We went to a little breakfast place in the next town over, and it was my first time going there. And I’ll definitely go back. I got a Western-style breakfast sandwich—egg, chees, ham, onions, and peppers—on a toasted everything bagel and a side of fruit. Plus I drank coffee like a civilized adult.

I was home a little after noon and couldn’t wait to shower. After that, I hung out on the couch, read, and watched the women’s college basketball games before rewarding myself later on in the day with a few ciders and watching Dopesick with Josh.

I have a few more races on my radar for this year, and I forgot how fun in-person races are. And I’m proud of myself for just trying my best and enjoying the morning.