Goal # 7 – Run a 5k in under 30 minutes

After running a 5k two years ago in 38 minutes (I’m quite a slow runner, but also I was running with a friend and we took it kind of easy), I was determined to run another one in under 30 minutes. So, for the last five months, I have been running about 3 to 4 times a week to help me achieve this goal.

As I hadn’t run for ages I started off running for just 10 minutes then built up to 30 minutes in 1 minute increments over several weeks. After I had made it to 30 minutes, I then tried to increase my speed (red-faced and panting most of the time as serious runners overtook me with ease!). Although I achieved a 5k distance in under 30 minutes a few times, I still had to do it in an official 5k race… which I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do!

However, last Friday night, I headed out to take part in a 5k along with approximately 599 others – and I completed the race in 28 minutes, much to my amazement! Not only had I never ran the distance in this time before (it was always over 29 minutes) but I had absolutely no idea how far I’d run for most of the race as my running app (which measures time and distance) went crazy and told me after 6 minutes that I had already run 2 miles and was running three-minute miles … if only! 🙂

So to my shock and delight I ran through the finish line after just 28 minutes, enabling me to tick another goal off my list! Here’s a picture of a wet and windswept me happily showing off my finisher’s medal:

Goal # 5 – See the sunrise, and Goal # 6 – Create my own ice cream flavour

After three failed attempts at seeing the sunrise, where I had waited right through from dark to daylight at ridiculous o’ clock with no glimpse of the sun, I was beginning to come to the conclusion that my part of the world must actually be operated by a dimmer switch! I was definitely beginning to believe that this one was not going to be easily ticked off the list.

However, despite my sceptisism, I was determined to tick this off, so I kept an eye out for a cloudless morning and, last Sunday, I ventured out once more for attempt number four of my sunrise mission. And I saw it!

Yep, at roughly twenty past 7, I finally got my glimpse of the sunrise. Here’s the best photo I could get, although it looked a little better in real life:

I also ticked off another item from my list yesterday, and that was creating my own ice cream flavour. The flavour I came up with was white chocolate ice cream with strawberry sauce and chunks of shortbread and white chocolate. And it was really nice, if I do say so myself!

While it took quite a while to make, what with making the ice cream itself, the shortbread and the strawberry sauce, it was definitely worth the effort.

I’m not a food photographer (as you can see) and do not own an ice cream scoop, so while it doesn’t look quite as appetising as it tasted, here’s a photograph to document my first ice cream invention: