Work took me to Orlando for a week and, as luck would have it, there was a 5k the morning after I arrived less than a mile from my hotel! I was able to squeeze this in before work and am very glad I did.
The weather was certainly humid and warm but not yet hot, thankfully, as we started at 7 am. I met some cool people and even got to hold a 14 lbs alligator named Willy (as in “will he bite you”). I learned that you should run in a zig-zag pattern if you happen to find yourself in a situation where an alligator is chasing you.
Willy and Me!
I finished in 30:30 putting me at an average pace of 9:49 which is my best 5k time ever! And out of the 713 women who ran, I was #128, which I am proud of. This was the first time in a long time that I have listened to music while I ran and intentionally skipped intervals. It felt good.
[…] Anyway, back to running. I greatly value that running has helped me get to know and enjoy the cities I’ve visited for work in a fun and healthy way. Last year, I had the opportunity to run a 5k in Orlando (my fastest yet) while we were there for the International Reading Association’s annual conference. I got to hold an alligator too! […]