First real race!

Last weekend my friends and I completed the first annual HCMC Run - the first timed race I ever signed up for.  Some of my friends are really into running and did the 10km race, but the rest of us registered for the 5km.  I decided at the last minute to sign up for the race despite my lack of training, so I woke up extra-early before the race to register before 5:00am.  The race was supposed to begin around 6:00am, but it got pushed back a bit.  While everyone was lined up ready to go, they put on some music to get everyone pumped up.  The whole atmosphere was really fun and exciting!

The race was a 5km loop around "The Crescent" area near where I live.  The start/finish line was near the mall, and this area was packed with people!  The 10km race was partially over the very steep Phu My bridge.  I'm glad that the 5km terrain was relatively flat!  Thankfully since we started fairly early, it wasn't as sweltering as the Terry Fox Run was a few weeks before.  It was still pretty hot and sunny though.

Somehow I managed to finish in the top half of all the 5km runners, and in the top 1/3 of female runners, with my time of 37:58, which is not very fast by normal running standards!  I did take a bunch of walking breaks, so if I ever enter another race again hopefully I'll be motivated enough to train for it and run the entire thing.  It was a fun experience overall!

5km runners - we did it!