Finished!

Woo hoo! In 38 degree temperatures, foggy, drizzly, and just plain COLD weather, I finished my first ever 5k! And as testament as to why I am going to keep Keki around forever, the man waited out in that awful weather for me, taking pictures, after only three hours of sleep. I tell ya, he's a keeper!

Keki, got a picture of me stretching. And yes, it was cold enough to need all those clothes!

The attempted start of my run. The walkers were supposed to stay further to the back, but I guess they didn't understand that concept!

The start of the stairs. I think there's only about 50, but it felt like 500! No stopping though...I can say that I never stopped once!

Finally at the top! Can you see the relief in my face? I think I was warm for about 5 minutes before I started freezing....which meant it was time to go home. Me, wet and cold. Not a good combination!

So, the first two miles were great -- mostly downhill. 19 minutes for those first two...and then an additional 19 for the last one! It was the worst one-mile stretch I have ever run or walked in my life. Straight uphill, about a 12-15% grade, and then the infamous stairs at Red Rocks to finish. But, I finished and I wasn't last. I came in somewhere around the middle, which is exactly where I was hoping to finish. And I now have the confidence to go out and do some more (or maybe it's just insanity). A great way to finish a weekend....even though I didn't get warm until I got home and took the hottest shower imaginable! (Ignore the date on the bottom of the photos -- the old batteries had died and I didn't have time to reset the date).