And this is how I became an addict

So I was running my first 5K, competitively.  I had no idea who these people were I was running with, where they came from, but there were LOTs of them.  

I continued  running down the hill and then made the sharp corner into the parking lot at the end of my first 5K.  It was pretty amazing, but at that point, not entirely aware of how amazing.  I joined the other finishers under a spray of misting water nozzles past the finish line and quzzled water from a bottle handed to me by a volunteer.  It was July, in Arkansas, in the humid evening.  It was madly hot in the small valley where we finished the race.  I advanced from the finish area and rejoined my cousin and friends.  I was thrilled at how much fun it turned out to be.

We settled into lawn chairs and had beer and food and waited as many other finishers came through the finish line.  I had no idea about finish times, place, age group awards, masters, grandmasters, the grand prix. And when my cousin asked me what my time was I responded "what time?", he was like " you didn't look at the clock when you crossed the finish line?" I was like "....clock?"  I was clueless.

So awards began.  I was excited to hear who the winners were. The awards continued...on and on broken down into Male and Female in 5 year categories.  "Female age 30 to 34, 3rd place with a time of [I cant remember] Lisa Luyet from North Little Rock AR"....I was a little confused.  Steve looked at me and yelled, "go get your award!"....huh?  award?  really?

Apparently I was the third fastest female age 30 to 34 at Dam Nite run in 2004!  If that won't get you hooked to something, I don't know what will. 

So this was a sport that I not only could play in, but I actually have something that says "Winner"  not just "participant"...it said "Winner".  Yes, Lisa, the awkward basketball player that got hit in the face with the ball that never returned a serve in Volley ball and crashed her bike, was a WINNER!  omg.