Run for the Wild Part 2- with Jaclyn!

I actually did it. This morning I got up at 6:30 and went for a run. I feel like a real runner again! Plus it's baby season. The pond was full of tiny little geese.

I also have something special. On Saturday I participated in the Run for the Wild with my friend Jaclyn. This was her first ever 5k and she wanted to share her experience: 

 My first experience running surprised me! I recently took on running as a way to de-stress and focus on me rather than reviewing my iPhone obsessively for work, meetings, events, etc. I was fortunate to have a great girlfriend support me every Tuesday and Thursday running with a beer as a reward or Pinkberry. Safe to say, my Pinkberry card has lots of stamps. I digress…

 On the day of the race, I was extremely nervous because it was chilly and several of my friends and their marathon-loving acquaintance friends were joining us. Luckily, I told everyone I am not running a marathon but my goals are 1) to finish and not die and 2) eat all the free food at the end. When the race began I had a hard time concentrating because I left my headphones in my bag that I checked in so I heard everyone’s conversations and I have been training with my play list of Bloc Party, Sigur Ros, and Adele (got to mix it up). When we hit the 1-mile mark, I thought, “Someone lied to me during training”…It felt like I ran 5 miles by the time I hit the 1-mile mark. So I knew, “Pace Yourself Jaclyn”. After that, it was a brisk run with quick pit stops to visit the giraffes, monkeys, and zebras. Towards the finish line, I started dancing and to my amazement my friend Lisa had a camera so we could prove to my mother I ran and crossed the finish line! The best part was the MC coming up to me and asking, “How do you feel?”…I said, “I feel like dancing”. He made a circle of people around me so Lisa and I could freestyle and pretend we were at a rave for 15 seconds! It was fantastic! The next best thing was the ample supply of carbs!!!! Muffins, bagels, bananas, fruit bars and water…OMG! I was in Carb Heaven! 

 Here are a few things I learned while running: 

-Breathe. No one is rushing you so take your damn time. 

-Bring your headphones! If you have been training with a certain routine, stick to it. 

-Be proud of your achievements! Sometimes you have to pat yourself on the back; in my case, I needed to dance! 

-Be a squirrel. Take as much food as you want and place in a bag; you will want to eat again later.

Doesn't Jaclyn look happy?