Well.....It's done. 
 
Last weekend I competed in the Gopher Badger 5k in Hudson, Wisconsin.  I had been running for the 11 weeks leading up to this race.  I went all in too.  I bought running shoes for my "style" of running, some WigWam Ironman socks to keep my feet cool and comfy, and the cloth to wick the sweat away.  I got the Couch to 5k app for my iPod touch to help me train too.  I trained 2 to 3 times a week that whole time.  Had some great days early and struggled with the heat and mental part of it late.  But at the end of it all I competed.  The race starts on the Minnesota side, you run across the I-94 bridge over the St. Croix river, and finish running into Hudson, WI.  Up to that point I had not did the full 3.1 miles in my training.  I went slow and steady the whole time.  My goals were not to walk at any point of the race and have less than 15 minute miles.  I achieved both of them.  My final time was 42:02.  It isn't fast, but for me just to do it and put in the time to do it was huge.  My body has changed a bit and I'm feeling pretty good.  Football has started and I don't have the usual aches and pains because I have been running all summer.
     I'm glad I did this.  I want to try to continue to get some 1-2 mile runs in when I can.  There is a 5k at the local high school in late September I might try too.  I can't see this as a hobby I'd enjoy.  I want to keep this simple and fun.