I was inspired by other runner bloggers who have ran two races in two days and I thought, “Could I do that? I’m I really that bad ass enough?” Friends, I am. 2 races in two freaking days.

On Saturday May 12th, 2012 I ran The Starbucks Run For Women 5K. Which was my first 5K EVER. I know, who am I? I run half marathons before a 5K. It happens! And then on Sunday May 13th, 2012 I ran the Sporting Life 10K For Kids with Cancer.

This recap is going to be all about the Starbucks Run For Women 5K!

OK, as always I’m going to be honest with you. I really wanted to run this race for the swag. Instead of a medal, you got this gem:

As soon as my sister Julia showed me this bracelet I said, “I’m in!”

So we ventured to the start line where I was still debating if I was going to run this race for fun because I had to run the 10K the next day or if I was going to give it all I’ve got and run the next day for fun. And then I walked past John Stanton, the founder of the Running Room. I was so excited when he looked at me and said, “Good luck today!” That was it. I had to run this race as a race.

I took this run as light as I could so that I wouldn’t be completely broken the next day. I also gave it as much as I could without over doing it. It was a hard thing for me to do because I’m so competitive.  It helped that Unionville ended up being the cutest little town. There were so many cute shops along the route and then we turned through the park for the middle of the run. This made me nervous. It was trail like and we ended up running through some narrow trails. The good news is, this was a small race and the number of participants was capped at 1,000 for the 5K so it wasn’t a problem at all!

As always, I got some pretty hilarious shots on this run! Look, I’m out for a Saturday jaunt:

Waving hello to the camera:

And then sprinting like a mother through the finish line:

Clearly, I run on air. All. The. Time.

5K’s are fast. So my recap is not like one that I would do for a half marathon. It was quick and I had a lot of fun! I was completely shocked to find out that I finished 5th overall in my age category and I was the 49th runner to cross the finish line! I think I need to start training for 5K’s and beat out my time! Because really, it’s not even that fast for a top 5, 5K finisher!

After the race I enjoyed a nice free massage at the finish line for my aching thighs and then Julia and I became tourists and took a few shots:

If you are looking for a fun 5K, you should try this one out! You even get pink lemonade, Starbucks coffee, Cheerios, bagels, and bananas at the finish! Swag, food, and a run? Count me in!

Stay tuned for my Sporting Life 10K recap!