Last night, I got the impulse to search the Dallas race listings while making cookies (what a strange coincidence). I found a 5k happening 15 minutes from my house that had a pretty low entry fee and looked small and cute. You can probably guess what happens next.

I dragged myself out of bed at 7:20 am on a Saturday (the sacrifice all runners must make), threw on a top and my Nike running crops (because I knew they had a little pocket for my car key—necessary when you’re racing alone), found some cash and hit the road to Frisco.

There were less than 150 people running, and this was the first race I’d ever run with velcro, non-throwaway timing chips! I strapped it to my ankle, pinned my bib on straight (which I am a champion at now), and hit the pavement at 8:30 am.

Running such a small race was pretty fun, but I had a few complaints. There were no mile markers, which was bad for me because I pace myself on knowing how much I have left to go. Also, the race results reporting is odd. I saw the time on the clock when I finished…and the official results are like a minute slower? Um. The clock is supposed to be slower? Isn’t your chip time supposed to be the faster one? And here’s a complaint about myself: I went out way too fast because I thought it was a small race and I would have a chance at placing. Which I would have…had I not gone out too fast.

It was a fun way to spend a Saturday morning. Afterward, I showered and my parents and I saw Iron Man 3. It was a good day.

33:19/3.1 miles