Today I ran my first 5k road race.  Today was also the first time I’ve actually enjoyed drinking a generic American “Lite” beer.

Race: 6th Annual Bayshore Road Race, Braintree MA. 

Benefit: Room to Dream Foundation

My results: 23 minutes, 29 seconds (7:35 pace)

I came in 17th place overall (there were 82 runners total in the 5k, about 30 runners in the 10k), 15th place among the males and 2nd place for my age category (*ahem*).  Well, I had a slight advantage on that last part, but overall I definitely exceeded my expectations for a first timer… and just glad that none of the 10k runners came in before me (earliest time for that group was 33:07, fastest 5k time was 15:58).

A few days ago I did my first and only practice 5k run on a treadmill and clocked just under 30 minutes, so I guess competition helps. Yeah, there was a guy in a green shirt who kept passing me throughout the race, so I just had to kick his butt in the last 1000 meters. Of course, I had my butt kicked too in those last 1000 meters… by a 10-14 year old girl no less.

As for the beer: it was served in a Coors Light cup but the tap on the keg said Millers Lite… as if it makes a difference. They’re merging anyway, aren’t they? Like two merging streams of… well, anyway, the moral of the story is, even the biggest Canadian beer snob appreciates a cold one after running 3.1 miles, no matter what’s in the cup.

No plans to go for a 10k, at least not in the near future.