You know it’s said that a mother could lift a car if her child was stuck underneath it? Well, upon reflection, that’s how I felt on Friday when I ran my first 5K. I thought it was a fluke; that it was the adrenaline of trying to complete 5K for the first time that got me across the finish line. (Well, adrenaline and not wanting to embarrass myself in front of my neighbor.) But I was wrong. I did it again this evening.

My best friend Lauren told me that it would get easier each time I ran the 3.1 miles after the first time. She was wrong. Tonight I felt like I was going to keel over and die for nearly the entire run. However, I beat Friday’s time of 31:49. Today I ran it in 30:58. I only walked twice and for a very, very short distance each time.

When I walked through my front door, I was sweating in places I didn’t know had the capacity to produce sweat. I was so hot that I kept sweating as I took the coldest shower ever. Now that I’m done for the night–done with running, with showering, with eating dinner–I feel great. My legs and knees and back don’t hurt like the did last time. I know I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I doubt I’ll feel as bad as I did when Saturday morning rolled around.

So, here’s to me! I’m a 5K runner now! Watch out!