My First 5K...

After running around my apartment parking lot for a few months now, I decided it was time to take my exercise to the next level. After a few weeks I started to clock and measure my route. It turned out I was running as much as 8k every other night.
For what ever reason, I felt the next logical step was to join an organized 5k run. I went to a local sport store and grabbed a banner for the next 5k in Guam. It happened to be just about the largest Guam has ever had.

The 5k was sponsored by Pay-Less Supermarkets, which is the largest supermarket chain in Guam. With my $5 entrance fee I got a reusable bag and a sports bottle that would be just about big enough for me to use for sacrament on Sundays.

The worst part about this 5k for me would be the time. I run at night, when it’s cool and I’ve finished dinner and rested a bit. This 5k was to start at 6am, with a show time of 5:30 or sooner. ‘nuff said.

Anna and I got up about 4:45 am and slowly got ready. It was torture. At least I had Anna with me. She refused to run it with me, but she was there for me the whole time.
I was floored when I got to the meeting point. The crowd was massive. If you take a walk around the mall’s food courts in Guam you’ll think there is not one person on island that could do 1k, let alone 5. Where were all these fit people hiding? Well, apparently not in the food courts and fast food joints I frequent.

When time comes to roll I find myself in the back of a very large multitude. I never expected to get first, but being this far back in the pack I knew would lose a good minute or two until the herd thinned out some.

I ran like I never have before. Was I fast? No, but I never stopped. I never slowed down and I never walked a foot.

Also, along the way, I took the liberty of filming the monumentous event. I got many an odd look, but the video preservation of the memory is worth it.

I came in at…well, not first place. But I did get my fastest time ever on a 5K. And I had the satisfaction of saying that I’ve done it.

But don’t just read all about it. I’ve put together a documentary style video of it all. A caution now, it’s a full length video, 22 minutes long, broken into 3 bite size pieces. If you like documentaries, you’ll enjoy this style. If not, I still want you to watch it…

Enjoy.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3