Running my first ever real 5K (I actually sorta did it?!) and a fundraising update

On Sunday I ran my first ever 5K as an adult. I'd done a couple as a kid, but I'm not sure they really count ... mostly because I remember my dad having to come around with me, telling me I couldn't stop half way around. 
This is the only snap I managed to get of me pre-race (no one wants to see the post-race sweaty mess). At this point I finally started to get a little  nervous. I was about to run this thing on my own, and seeing everyone else lining up in pairs or groups at the start line was a little unsettling.
I never thought I'd be saying this, but the first kilometre was genuinely enjoyable. I felt so emotional at the idea of all these hundreds of people coming out to run for a cause they believed in that it genuinely made me well up. I've been practising for this for a few months' now and you could tell everyone was putting their heart and soul into it.
The next four kilometres were ... less blissful. Who includes hills in a charity run?! My shoulders were sore, I got a stitch (still haven't worked out how to go for a run and not get one) and every little dip in the grass had my ankles raging. 
The lowest point of the run was probably when I thought the 4K water tent was the finish line. Everyone was slowing down, and I sped up for the final push, ready to cross the line ... until I realised there was no line and I still had a fifth of the distance to go. But, I still finished the race running (okay, okay, jogging) and it felt great.
Basically I'm just as surprised as everyone that knows me that little old exercise-hating couch potato me managed to stick at something like this and see it through. I'm a quitter at almost everything I've ever started, but I did this, and as of now have raised just over £800 for the Bone Cancer Research Trust (BCRT for short). 
I've got a whole post on why I support them here, but in short, they're the only UK charity dedicated to finding a cure for bone cancer specifically. They provide funding to PhD students looking into what causes different types of bone cancer, fund medical staff attending specialist units to understand more about bone cancer and provide support to patients and families, as well as a whole lot more amazing work. I've dedicated this year to raising money and awareness for the charity and I'm for thankful to anyone who's donated already, as my £500 target for the whole year has been absolutely smashed just half way through! The BCRT hope to raise £1,000,000 this year, so if you want to donate anything as a last minute sponsorship my JustGiving page is here, or find out the many ways you can donate to the BCRT here.
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