[mcmama]

Well, today I put bells on my sneakers and did my first 5K run/walk - the Jingle Bell Run in Fort Walton Beach, benefitting the arthritis foundation. It was very pleasant, lots of fun, folks wearing costumes, some walkers, some dog walkers, and kids participated too. They gave prizes in age groups for people from 5 - 100. One 9 year old raised $100 on her own. Florosa Elementary made it a team project, and parents and kids were there. A really pleasant experience.

I completed it by alternating running and walking and my time was 46 minutes 57 seconds - don't know if that was official, but that was the time on the clock when I crossed the line. One of the men in my group placed third in his age group for walkers. He really gets a good stride going.

A lot of fun, and I am looking forward to doing more of them. Around here, these events are in beachfront communities, so the scenery is beautiful. And the cold morning that warmed up to 60 degrees F helped too!