Chili Bowl 5k

Although I'd done a family 5k with Travis and his siblings in the summer, I thought it'd be fun to do an "official" one as well (and that training for it would be a great way to stay in shape). So today, Rachel and I (with Travis and Grace along for support) headed to Tower 230 in downtown Cleveland for our first "official" 5k!

The front of Tower 230 was our start/finish line (they were the sponsors for this event):


Crystal Carlson (a friend from Church) met us there to join in the fun. Here we all are before the race (with race numbers on and "chips" on our shoes):


It was a COLD and WINDY morning to race, but the sky was sunny and clear, and the course was picturesque, running along some downtown streets, then by the Brown's stadium and along Lake Erie (it was a really neat view of the city, to see it by foot).
The race officials warmed us up afterwards with steaming bowls of Tower 230 chili (which was pretty good!).
Rachel and I with our chili:


My main goal for the race was to beat my previous time of 40 minutes, and my "dream goal" was to run it in 35 minutes. So, I was VERY happy when I crossed the finish line at 35:12! Never having considered myself a runner, I got a big sense of accomplishment in finishing my first official race!