Engineeringirl: I Ran a 5K and I Didn't Die!

This weekend, I conquered a fear.... Running. That's right folks, I hate running. HATE - IT. However, with Lola's (and let's be honest, mine) growing hips, something needed to be done. So, I started running the dogs a couple weeks ago. We're not talking about long distances or anything, let's not get out of control here. Basically our walks are more frequent and consist of little bursts of running mixed in with the walking. The dogs seem happier, Lola's a little skinnier, and my thighs are a little smoother.
So when Chris mentioned the Galveston Island Shrimp Festival 5K at Moody Gardens (benefiting UTMB), I have to say I was a tiny bit scurred (that's scared for the rest of you). Actually, I was downright terrified. But my BFF Hillary was going to run/walk it with me, so that helped ease my fears. I followed her advise and took a couple of ibuprofen, ate a banana, and drank water before the run started. And surprisingly we ran the entire first mile! In total, we ran about 2/3 of the race and walked about 1/3. I finished in 41 minutes, which definitely surprised me. I'm definitely looking forward to running a bit more, now that I have proven to myself that running will not kill me.
Now on to more fun things... Our registration in the 5K included a tasting cup for that afternoon's Gumbo Festival on The Strand. What is more fun than stuffing your face with delicious gumbo and not feeling guilty because you ran 3 miles that morning? SO MUCH FUN! We enjoyed walking around The Strand trying all the different restaurants' gumbos (the group consensus was that Yaga's was the best). After, we visited LaKing's Confectionery, which is the cutest soda fountain, ice cream, and candy store ever. I had a milkshake made with mocha chip ice cream. Enjoy the pics!