Bucket List Update: Participate in an organized sporting event? Check!

I have to admit something.  This item on my bucket list?  I was sure that it would be something that would happen YEARS from now {sort of like the African safari}.

Then I remembered the Couch to 5K program and wrote about it on Facebook, asking if anyone had done it before.  People had, and loved it, so I decided to take the plunge {and then waited a few months to actually start it}.

And I urged my friend Sonja to work it along with me, so we could encourage each other.  We caught up in person this past summer and decided, "Hey! Lets run a 5K on Thanksgiving!"

pre-race {that would be why I don't look exhausted}

Because that would be good enough incentive to go through the Couch to 5K program, right?  

Well, enter a move from the Netherlands to Scotland and a husband who traveled quite a bit and I ended up cramming the last four weeks of the program into two.  But I finished it.  

And have begun to enjoy running.  

next time we are totally wearing turkeys on our head.  or something.  there was a pilgrim couple too--adorable. 

the starting line.  see that building that says "st. louis" on the side of it? that is the office I worked in right before we
moved.  I got a kick out of that being where the starting point was.  loved it, actually.  

So, we didn't run the whole thing.  I am chalking that up to:  a. being about 36 hours off a plane from Amsterdam {and 16 hours of travel}, jetlag and children with jetlag {i.e. getting up at 4 AM}, and the start of a cold. 

Enough about the excuses though.  I am going to keep training, and the next time we do this?  Running the whole thing. 

But, we did do a few things that make me very proud:  finished running, didn't finish last {seriously, there was probably 1/2 mile of walkers/runners behind us}, finished under 1 hour, and had an AWESOME time just talking and getting to know each other again.  

Post run {/walk}.

And no matter what anyone says?  

Facebook rocks.   

So there.  

Oh, and if you are curious about couch to 5K?  Click here to check out a great website that describes it.  And there are apps galore for your iPod, iPhone, etc. 

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How about you?  Has Facebook made anything surprising possible for you?  Have you done the Couch to 5K program?  How did you like it?