About 8 weeks ago I set off to achieve what I once thought was an unattainable goal. I wanted to be called a "runner". I have no idea what made me think this was something I needed to do. Oh wait! Yes I do. My neighbor. She started running a while ago and she talks about how great it is. She has three kids of her own and running gave her everything from a healthier lifestyle to 30 minutes of alone time to have her own thoughts without someone else trying to ask you 1,000 questions in 4 minutes. Sign me up! I finally bit the bullet and decided that I would give this whole running thing a go.
I decided to use the C25K program. Now, while I still haven't finished the actual program and I am not technically running (without any walking) a 5k, I am finally at the point that I think I can be called a runner. Also, I finished my first 5k today so I feel that I hit a goal that I once though I would never make it to. Truth be told, I have tried this before. The same thing always happened. I would make it through week 1 (if I was lucky) and then life would get in the way. Okay, okay. Life never got in the way. I got in my own way. I gave up. This time I was focused and determined though to make it through. My goal was to finish a 5k by mostly running. I documented my progress through the program so I won't recap all of that but I wanted to talk about how awesome my first 5k was.
Shortly after starting c25k, I signed up for the Iron Girl 5k in Clearwater. Once I heard there was a race that was along the Gulf/Intercoastal, I was set. Where do I sign up?? Bonus... this race is all women. Not that it really matters but something about the fact that it was women supporting other women as they raced made it seem pretty cool. I didn't change much of my training regiment because I knew that I would not be running the full 5k regardless, but I kept on trying to get more and more time running under my belt so I would be ready.
In case anyone is curious, that neighbor that started me on this whole running journey signed up as well. We were in this one together. She was super awesome as a supporter my whole way. I would tell her about my runs and she was nothing but encouraging. My awesome husband was just as encouraging. He would ask me about my runs each morning when I would finish and (even if he really wasn't) he always acted impressed and made me feel like I was doing great. He helped me make my playlist for the race. We sat around choosing songs with BPM that were in the range that I wanted to try to run. It's hard to not run at the speed of your music so we chose uptempo songs. He offered to put all Pantera on my playlist but we decided I didn't want to show anyone up when I finished 3.1 miles in under 15 minutes. Haha! My mom was also one of my top supporters in this journey. She was also asking me about it and when we realized that I would have to get up crazy early to drive over to Clearwater the morning of the race, she offered to go with me so I wouldn't be alone on I4 at that crazy hour. Plus, I think she just wanted to be there to see me finish the race.
So, I signed up and was given my bib number (#2569) and chose my shirt size. The shirt chosen this year said "We Run This Bridge". Yeah, that was one thing I didn't look at before signing up. The size of said bridge. That thing wasn't one of those "bridges" that is really just a road over the water that doesn't have an incline like you see a lot in the Keys. Nope. It was a "causeway" which just makes it sound bigger. And bigger it was.
Anyway, Momma came into town on Saturday afternoon in preparation for leaving at such an early hour on Sunday. We had a nice dinner on the patio with her and tried to get the kids in bed at a normal hour so we could go to bed a bit early in preparation for our 3am wake up call. Little did I know that Kenzie was going to have one of her worst nights in a while and she was up the majority of the night. (In case anyone is interested, once I left the house, she slept until after 7... so she was just trying to make sure I earned my finisher medal at the end of this race because I was set to be exhausted due to her being up most of the night.) Like I said, 3am wake up call. We were out the door by 3:40. Momma braided my hair for me the night before (I can't seem to braid my own hair) so I wouldn't have to worry about anything but getting dressed and ready to go in the morning. I took a bottle of water and a piece of bread with some peanut butter as sustenance prior to the race. Our drive there was uneventful and we got a parking spot in the lot right near the starting line. Check in was easy and before I knew it, we were just waiting around to start the race.
We saw the 1/2 marathoners leave at 6:30 and shortly thereafter we got into the corrals for our 7am starting time. I, honestly, didn't know what to expect but everyone I spoke to was super nice and we were all in this together. At exactly 7am, the airhorn (really, they should totally use a starting pistol because that would be awesome) blew and we were off. They informed us that all 50 states and Canada were represented. My mom heard later that the oldest participant was in her 80's. Wow! I was a bit behind the starting line so I walked to that point and then started running once I hit it. Momma got a video and I am at the very end of said video coming up to the starting line but no one would ever pick me out so I won't post it. There it is though, the start of my first 5k. I had my awesome playlist going but it wasn't loud so I could hear those around me should they need to get by me. I also had my Runkeeper app because I have it set to tell me every 5 minutes (and every mile) how far I am and what my average pace is. I wanted to run it so I had any idea of how I was doing along the way. That also meant that every time it would talk to me, I would find myself doing mental math to figure out if I kept near that pace, how long the race would take me. At least that occupied my mind for a bit.
After running in a big square, there it was. The bridge. I could see it from the starting line but it didn't look nearly as serious as it actually was until you were standing at the bottom of it looking towards the peak. I ran the entire distance to the bridge and maybe a few feet onto that bridge before I elected to walk the remainder of the way to the top. That also let me slow up for a few pictures along the way. The sun was just coming up and the breeze over the water was great because despite it being barely 60 degrees, I was HOT at this point. It was gorgeous. Couldn't have asked for a better 5k. I might have gotten a bit teary as I got to the top of that bridge and thought, "I can't believe I am actually doing this. Like, seriously doing this." While I was walking up the bridge, I could hear cheering starting ahead of me. The first place runner was making her way back down the bridge. Yeah... back down. As in she had already gone over it, turned around and was almost back over it. She was a superstar. (Side note, she finished in about 20 minutes and second place right behind her was in the 10-14 age group. These women/young ladies are amazing.)
As I was starting to make my way down the bridge, I could see my neighbor making her way back up it after the turn around. She is way faster than me, but I knew it couldn't be too much farther to the turn around and that point was actually more than halfway because of the course. I ran down the bridge and all the way to the turn around, skipping the water station and turned around before walking again. I walked back up the bridge and as soon as I hit the peak, I ran again for a few minutes until I had to stop again. I walked/ran the remainder of the race at that point. I would run as far as I could and then walk just long enough to catch my breath. There were a few people I would pass that would then pass me while I walked... then I would pass again while they walked. We stayed together most of the end of that race. Coincidentally, they were also mother/daughter teams and the daughters were young. Those kids were doing awesome. Holding their own, for sure. I think the best part of the race was listening to those around me talk about the bridge. It was pretty funny. When people realized we would have to run up it twice, some people were not having it. They did it, but I don't think they were too happy. Can't blame them. It hurt. A regular hill was NOT going to prep you for this thing.
As I saw the finish line, I knew I wanted to make sure I ran across that line... and I did. I don't think I have felt such a sense of achievement in quite some time. It might have only been 3.1 miles, but it was a huge accomplishment for me. Again, I might have teared up a bit as they announced my name as I came across the line. My mom got a picture of me coming over the finish line. It's a terrible picture as my face clearly says that I am done with this, but it is what it is and it is my finish. I'm proud of it. I collected my medal and took a few pictures to remember the moment that I officially finished my first 5k as a runner. First race but not last, for sure.
You can actually watch the race results live so as soon as I had a minute, I checked to see what my official time was. I was so excited! I finished in 41:14 (chip time) and my pace was 13:16!!! Fastest pace ever! I finished 1008 out of 1775 total participants and 163 out of 269 in my age group (30-34). Not too shabby for my first ever 5k. My goal through this entire process was to finish in under 45 minutes. I think I did okay. =) Not to mention that I slowed for about 30 second or more to take those few pics along the way. Haha! Okay, that might not have slowed me too much but I am still so excited. Also, I now have my first ever PR! Yay!! Something to shoot to beat now.
Momma and I had another uneventful drive back and Steven was super excited to ask me how it went. He so wanted to be there, but we weren't sure how it would all work out and he had to fly out today to Oklahoma for work. He did take a good look at my medal and I think it won't be too long before I convince him to do one of these with me. =) My neighbor finished in 28 minutes, I think and she is pushing the 10k on me now. I told her 5k is my limit, but I'm there for the next one. =)
I will definitely continue with this whole running thing. My goal is to beat my PR on my next race and to run the full 5k at some point. I can see where the phrase runner's high comes from. I am definitely still feeling it hours later. What a cool moment. I'm ready to go again!
I decided to use the C25K program. Now, while I still haven't finished the actual program and I am not technically running (without any walking) a 5k, I am finally at the point that I think I can be called a runner. Also, I finished my first 5k today so I feel that I hit a goal that I once though I would never make it to. Truth be told, I have tried this before. The same thing always happened. I would make it through week 1 (if I was lucky) and then life would get in the way. Okay, okay. Life never got in the way. I got in my own way. I gave up. This time I was focused and determined though to make it through. My goal was to finish a 5k by mostly running. I documented my progress through the program so I won't recap all of that but I wanted to talk about how awesome my first 5k was.
Shortly after starting c25k, I signed up for the Iron Girl 5k in Clearwater. Once I heard there was a race that was along the Gulf/Intercoastal, I was set. Where do I sign up?? Bonus... this race is all women. Not that it really matters but something about the fact that it was women supporting other women as they raced made it seem pretty cool. I didn't change much of my training regiment because I knew that I would not be running the full 5k regardless, but I kept on trying to get more and more time running under my belt so I would be ready.
In case anyone is curious, that neighbor that started me on this whole running journey signed up as well. We were in this one together. She was super awesome as a supporter my whole way. I would tell her about my runs and she was nothing but encouraging. My awesome husband was just as encouraging. He would ask me about my runs each morning when I would finish and (even if he really wasn't) he always acted impressed and made me feel like I was doing great. He helped me make my playlist for the race. We sat around choosing songs with BPM that were in the range that I wanted to try to run. It's hard to not run at the speed of your music so we chose uptempo songs. He offered to put all Pantera on my playlist but we decided I didn't want to show anyone up when I finished 3.1 miles in under 15 minutes. Haha! My mom was also one of my top supporters in this journey. She was also asking me about it and when we realized that I would have to get up crazy early to drive over to Clearwater the morning of the race, she offered to go with me so I wouldn't be alone on I4 at that crazy hour. Plus, I think she just wanted to be there to see me finish the race.
So, I signed up and was given my bib number (#2569) and chose my shirt size. The shirt chosen this year said "We Run This Bridge". Yeah, that was one thing I didn't look at before signing up. The size of said bridge. That thing wasn't one of those "bridges" that is really just a road over the water that doesn't have an incline like you see a lot in the Keys. Nope. It was a "causeway" which just makes it sound bigger. And bigger it was.
Anyway, Momma came into town on Saturday afternoon in preparation for leaving at such an early hour on Sunday. We had a nice dinner on the patio with her and tried to get the kids in bed at a normal hour so we could go to bed a bit early in preparation for our 3am wake up call. Little did I know that Kenzie was going to have one of her worst nights in a while and she was up the majority of the night. (In case anyone is interested, once I left the house, she slept until after 7... so she was just trying to make sure I earned my finisher medal at the end of this race because I was set to be exhausted due to her being up most of the night.) Like I said, 3am wake up call. We were out the door by 3:40. Momma braided my hair for me the night before (I can't seem to braid my own hair) so I wouldn't have to worry about anything but getting dressed and ready to go in the morning. I took a bottle of water and a piece of bread with some peanut butter as sustenance prior to the race. Our drive there was uneventful and we got a parking spot in the lot right near the starting line. Check in was easy and before I knew it, we were just waiting around to start the race.
We saw the 1/2 marathoners leave at 6:30 and shortly thereafter we got into the corrals for our 7am starting time. I, honestly, didn't know what to expect but everyone I spoke to was super nice and we were all in this together. At exactly 7am, the airhorn (really, they should totally use a starting pistol because that would be awesome) blew and we were off. They informed us that all 50 states and Canada were represented. My mom heard later that the oldest participant was in her 80's. Wow! I was a bit behind the starting line so I walked to that point and then started running once I hit it. Momma got a video and I am at the very end of said video coming up to the starting line but no one would ever pick me out so I won't post it. There it is though, the start of my first 5k. I had my awesome playlist going but it wasn't loud so I could hear those around me should they need to get by me. I also had my Runkeeper app because I have it set to tell me every 5 minutes (and every mile) how far I am and what my average pace is. I wanted to run it so I had any idea of how I was doing along the way. That also meant that every time it would talk to me, I would find myself doing mental math to figure out if I kept near that pace, how long the race would take me. At least that occupied my mind for a bit.
After running in a big square, there it was. The bridge. I could see it from the starting line but it didn't look nearly as serious as it actually was until you were standing at the bottom of it looking towards the peak. I ran the entire distance to the bridge and maybe a few feet onto that bridge before I elected to walk the remainder of the way to the top. That also let me slow up for a few pictures along the way. The sun was just coming up and the breeze over the water was great because despite it being barely 60 degrees, I was HOT at this point. It was gorgeous. Couldn't have asked for a better 5k. I might have gotten a bit teary as I got to the top of that bridge and thought, "I can't believe I am actually doing this. Like, seriously doing this." While I was walking up the bridge, I could hear cheering starting ahead of me. The first place runner was making her way back down the bridge. Yeah... back down. As in she had already gone over it, turned around and was almost back over it. She was a superstar. (Side note, she finished in about 20 minutes and second place right behind her was in the 10-14 age group. These women/young ladies are amazing.)
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| My view from the top of the bridge |
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| At the top! |
As I was starting to make my way down the bridge, I could see my neighbor making her way back up it after the turn around. She is way faster than me, but I knew it couldn't be too much farther to the turn around and that point was actually more than halfway because of the course. I ran down the bridge and all the way to the turn around, skipping the water station and turned around before walking again. I walked back up the bridge and as soon as I hit the peak, I ran again for a few minutes until I had to stop again. I walked/ran the remainder of the race at that point. I would run as far as I could and then walk just long enough to catch my breath. There were a few people I would pass that would then pass me while I walked... then I would pass again while they walked. We stayed together most of the end of that race. Coincidentally, they were also mother/daughter teams and the daughters were young. Those kids were doing awesome. Holding their own, for sure. I think the best part of the race was listening to those around me talk about the bridge. It was pretty funny. When people realized we would have to run up it twice, some people were not having it. They did it, but I don't think they were too happy. Can't blame them. It hurt. A regular hill was NOT going to prep you for this thing.
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| The bridge from the ground. Eek! |
You can actually watch the race results live so as soon as I had a minute, I checked to see what my official time was. I was so excited! I finished in 41:14 (chip time) and my pace was 13:16!!! Fastest pace ever! I finished 1008 out of 1775 total participants and 163 out of 269 in my age group (30-34). Not too shabby for my first ever 5k. My goal through this entire process was to finish in under 45 minutes. I think I did okay. =) Not to mention that I slowed for about 30 second or more to take those few pics along the way. Haha! Okay, that might not have slowed me too much but I am still so excited. Also, I now have my first ever PR! Yay!! Something to shoot to beat now.
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| I'm in it for the race bling. Haha! |
I will definitely continue with this whole running thing. My goal is to beat my PR on my next race and to run the full 5k at some point. I can see where the phrase runner's high comes from. I am definitely still feeling it hours later. What a cool moment. I'm ready to go again!
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