One hundred people participated in the 5K Walk/Run to Benefit Autism Research Saturday, helping to raise $2,000.

One of those 100 was yours truly.

Now, I get to the gym fairly often, and usuallly for about two hours, splitting time between cardio and strength training, so I’m not completely out of shape. I do fine on a treadmill, bike or elliptical ... but actually getting onto the road and taking part in a race like this is a completely different animal.

I didn’t sign up for the race with any delusions – a good thing when, as I was nearing the halfway point of the race (which, for the metrically challenged is just a hair over three miles), I was passed by a grandmotherly lady in a knee brace. A few more steps down the road, I crossed paths with a set of stroller-pushing participants headed in the opposite direction. I’m pretty sure the second was a double-occupancy stroller. A gentleman who had to in his early 70s was there as well and, yes, he was done long before my race ended.

So, no, I didn’t win. I didn’t even come close. The winner, in fact, lapped me before I’d even gotten halfway, and I’m pretty sure he was reading a magazine as he passed – he really was making it look that effortless. I did finish in front of seven other racers, though, and was back home within the hour, which was a pretty good accomplishment, I felt.

(And speaking of feeling, I’m pretty sure I’ll be feeling this accomplishment until at least Monday.)

The whole point, though, was that I was out there among the stroller pushers and students, parents and grandparents, fit and not so fit. We were out there to do something we could be proud of – and we all finished the race. Some certainly faster than others, but we all crossed that finish line and, in doing so, helped fund some valuable research.

There is actually another 5K coming up here in a few weeks – the Mayor’s Roundup, which benefits educational programs at Frontier Texas! I recommend folks give it a shot. You don’t have to run the whole thing. I certainly didn’t. Just give it your best, and I promise you’ll feel better for it. Maybe I’ll see you out there.

For more information on the Mayor’s Roundup or other upcoming events, check out the Abilene Runner's Club Web site.