Finishing 1st at the Run for the Dry Forest 5K

#43 on my To Do List got checked off a little sooner than I expected!  Last weekend, I ran a 5K at the Run for the Dry Forest at Pu'u Wa'awa'a.  It was a beautiful trail run (and a benefit for preserving endangered species that grow in the dry forest) with an elevation change of 300ft (bleh!), which is more than I am used to since I typically run on nice, flat road.
 

One of my goals this year (that I shared at the MOPS steering team retreat in July) was to finish a 5K in under 30 minutes.  So, when I hit the first mile marker and my watch said 11 and change...I was pretty disappointed.  When I hit the 3 mile marker and stopped to walk up the hill, I was super bummed.  When I got within 20 yards of the chute, I heard footfalls behind me and started sprinting - so at least I know that I'm not losing my competitive edge ;)

Pu'u Wa'awa'a in all her majesty

I knew I gave the race all I had because I almost puked all over the finish line.  I also knew that I hadn't made my goal of under 30 minutes.  It wasn't until I saw my time card that things started to look up. 

I took 15th overall (out of 74) and took 9th (of 48) females.  I finished 1st (!!!!!) in my age division, which was the real treat of the morning.  I even got a ceramic trivet (they called it a medallion) to commemorate my win!  The plant on it is the 'a'ali'i, which is one of the endangered species they are working to preserve and was featured on our (surprisingly stylish) Tshirts.