Girls on the Run 5K

This past Saturday, we held Mankato's first Girls on the Run 5K walk/run. I wrote an earlier post about the Girls on the Run program, and at the end of the 12 week session, we end with a 5K walk/run. I got up early Saturday morning and the weather was a little chilly, but the sun was out and the sky was blue. It was the perfect day for a 5K. The run started at 9:00, but the girls got few minutes head start. I was a coach this session, but I assisted more than I coached. We ended up not having as many girls sign up as we had hoped. This session we had nine girls and it was so fun to see how much they changed throughout the course of the 12 weeks. Each of them finished the run, I don't think any of them ran the full distance, but they finished and that's what is most important. I was supposed to walk the distance, orders from the doctor, but I got so caught up in the moment, I jogged most of the way. It was the first 5k that I've ever ran and I was so proud of myself for finishing, especially since I am not a runner and I've never ran that distance. After it was all said and done, I was wishing that Jon could have been there with me. He was up in Duluth for a Math conference. We had such a great time with the girls and they received a ribbon for finishing the race. We had a big bubble pool, face painting, fake tattoos and a blow up bouncy house for the kids. The turn out was unbelievable. We were hoping for at least 100 participants and we ended up with over 200 participants in the race. Five of the participants were ladies that I work with. It was great to have their support. I had such a great time and I can't wait until next years 5K. (Pictures are posted above.)