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It rained all morning Sunday, and I was sure that our afternoon plans would be ruined. We had big plans, after all. They included a trip to the zoo, fun at the playground while I ran a 5K, and then dinner. Our biggest three kids have been on a trip with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law, so it would be Erv, myself, and my husband.

The rain stopped eventually, and by the time we got to the zoo, the sun was out again and it was 90 degrees. I started to think that a 5K in the heat and humidity wasn’t going to be all that fun as we walked around the zoo, picturing sweat dripping in my eyes as I huffed and puffed down the street.

The zoo is small, and apparently, at 4pm (an hour before closing), a lot of the animals are done for the day and close up shop. We saw some (as T said, the big ones that can’t hide), like the giraffes, gorilla, elephants, lions and hippo.

A lot, though, were no where to be seen and we found ourselves with an extra 45 minutes (on top of the hour I planned for) to kill before the 5K started, right across the street,

Between the zoo parking lot and the shelter house where the starting line was is a big playground, with a small train and a lot of equipment. It was hot, but we stayed in the shade while Erv played (mostly on the train). We had snacks and drinks and waited.

I started to get nervous as other runners started arriving…they looked fast, and fit, and serious, and there weren’t a lot of them. I’ve never done a 5K by myself before…usually, I’d have my mom or a sister-in-law to run with and talk to, but I didn’t know anybody there. Plus, I had gotten a free registration through active.com so I wouldn’t be wasting any money if I backed out, had already picked up my packet, and was with a couple of boys that, I think, wouldn’t have complained at all if we left at 5:30 pm to go ahead and have dinner. I had pretty much talked myself out of running the race, and said as much on my Facebook page.

As always, though, I got enough encouragement to not just give up and go home. And I thought, maybe all of these lean runners in their perfectly coordinated short shorts and tank tops would keep me going faster than I could on my own.

I was right. Straight out of the gate, I kept up with the pack (to an extent) and somehow managed to run the first mile in 7:50 min. That’s at least a full three minutes faster than my own comfortable pace. THREE MINUTES. Which is precisely why it took me twice that long to run the second mile. (And believe me, it felt twice as long). I finally finished about three minutes over my fastest 5K time, completely red-faced, sweaty, and wanting to throw up.

But I didn’t give up. I didn’t say “screw it, let’s go eat,” designate my t-shirt as a not-in-public, wear-to-bed-only garment, and let my fear take over my head (and my legs). I finished strong, even if everything in the middle was (more than) slightly embarrassing. And I didn’t come in last.

And, like they said on Chuggington yesterday, “it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part.”

I did, however, need a drink after it was all over.

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