Festival 5.1K Victory!!

Every year, our church does something called Festival in the Heights. It's a big BBQ party and we invite all the neighbors around the church. There is face painting, free food, a jumping house for the kids, and a bluegrass band. This year we started the 1st annual Festival 5.1K race and integrated that into the party. It was a great turnout! They started with some races for the kids and then the 5.1K started and 20 minutes later there was a 1.5 mile wellness walk. This summer I was part of a group at our church - Fit 4 Him. We met weekly to exercise and have a little class on fitness and eating tips. A lot of us talked about doing the 5.1K. Now I am NO runner but I love to walk and even though I don't get out much I knew I could do a little over 3 miles, no problem. So I decided to walk the 5.1K. Little did I know that I was the ONLY walker in that race - all the other walkers did the 1.5 mile wellness walk. So by the time I got out of the parking lot I couldn't even see any of the other racers! I was stopped by three cops that were policing the route and asked if I was hurt and/or needed help. Nope! Just walking! The last cop had to give me a map of the route because they had already started taking down the route markers! I didn't really care but I did feel kinda lame. The last part of the race was through a trail in the woods. My mom, who was a volunteer, came and met me and walked the last part with me. I just wanted to sneak to the finish line and get my time. But NO there was an "announcer" just as you came out of the woods, cheering people on for the last leg, with a microphone! And as I am coming out I hear him, "Wait!! What's this? Another runner?? Let's hear it for her!!" So I give a nice little wave and then he wants me to start running, in fact he's going run in with me and get's everyone chanting - Nat-a-lie! Nat-a-lie! Oh good Lord! So embarrassing! Well that and the fact that I was DEAD LAST in. Now I was well aware that I was the last 5.1K runner but everyone who walked the 1.5 mile course, including very small children, had all crossed the finish line before me! But, in our Fit 4 Him class, we talked about victories - they can be small, like not having any bread when going out to eat or passing on a piece of chocolate you really want but don't need, or they can be big victories, like completing your first race ever!! Yay for my big victory!!! And I have a goal for next year - I want to run/walk the race and not be dead last again :) I'll post a pic of me in my Finisher t-shirt when I get it back from my dad - he took both of ours home. Again, YAY!