The Happiest 5k

This morning marked a huge occasion in my life. For the last three years, I have been saying that I will run a 5k and a 10k before I turn 30. Excuses, life situations and guilt have stopped me so many times. But in January this year, my Dad suggested I come along to his running group. I had only ever managed about 3 minutes of running before slowing down to a walk, so I told my Dad I would probably walk the whole session. What happened next....I ran for 50 minutes. Well, jogged slowly. But I was doing it, and from then on I was hooked.

The group meets every Saturday, and now I am running 8-12 kilometers most weeks. This works in so well with my lifestyle, as I am a social person, and running with other people pushes me harder than if I was just running around the street by myself. I also struggle to run with the buggy when I take my 19 month old son with me, so this way I can run without worrying about him.

When I saw The Color Run was coming to Christchurch, I thought about it a lot. I went to sign up a couple of times but it was only when I saw friends do it in Auckland and I read Arron's account that I finally got the drive to do it. My Dad said he would do it with me and we signed up together.

I woke up this morning to rain, Lots of rain. And wind. Eating breakfast, I was listening to the wind howl and getting really nervous. Dad came over to pick me up and the sun briefly shone.



However, by the time we got to the course it was hosing down. I was drenched before we started, and freezing!

The run itself was a lot of fun, even though I was wet and cold. I wasn't even focused on the distance, it was watching out for mud, puddles and poo that had my full attention! The Color Run helpers made sure everyone was motivated, and did a great job colouring us up and cheering us on.

I finished in 32 minutes- the rain motivated me to finish as fast as possible without slipping over or crashing into other runners! It was a shame it was so wet, as we just wanted to go home and get dry. I was supposed to meet my husband and kids at the finish line and get some photos, but it was just too wet and cold. A nice man in the parking lot managed to snap this photo though.



At least I can now say I have done the Color Run! By the time I got home the sun was shining, so I managed to get a photo of my colourful outfit before hitting the shower and warming up.



Now I am on the hunt for my 10k challenge.Running has given me something to challenge myself, and spending the time with my Dad is also a bonus. I would love to hear if anyone else has done the Color Run!