I ran my first 5K on Nov. 7. I think I'm still a little high from the whole experience. Here are some thoughts-
Me and Caleb-after the race we went to Trader Joes and got pumpkin cream cheese and cinnamon raisen bagels for breakfast! Yummmmm-
Me and McKenna, right after the race. The first thing she said to me was, "can I run with you next time?" Later in the day, she asked me where I was going to put my medal. She offered to keep it in her room-
Me and my Love, who got up with me and managed to get all 4 kids ready and at the finish line to cheer me on.
Ok-on to my thoughts-
- I used the couch to 5K i-phone app. It's a 9 week program that is designed for beginners. At the end of 9 weeks, you should be able to run a 5K, hopefully in 40 minutes. I started running on August 30. I completed week 9 on October 30.
- The goal is to actually run a 5K. I didn't have any desire to do that. I was just looking for another way to work out-I was tired of the 30 day shred and the weather is so nice here, I thought it'd be fun to learn how to run.
- On one of my runs, I think I was in week 5 or so, I noticed a banner in town about the Santa Clarita marathon and 5K. It peaked my interest. After reading about it online, I asked Kevin if I could do it. With his encouragement, I registered.
- No injuries. I had to start icing my shins at about week 6 or so. That's when you start to run 20+ minutes without stopping, according to the program. My legs would hurt in the mornings, but otherwise, I felt fine. No knee or ankle problems.
- I must admit-1/2 of the reason for doing this was so that I could get a cool t-shirt. I was VERY disappointed when I picked up my shirt the day before the race. bleh...
- The day before the race, I kept wondering what in the world was I thinking. I'm not a runner. I didn't want to go out and make a fool of myself. I didn't want to trip and fall. Or be last.
- I woke up at 3am the morning of the race. The race started at 7. I had one goal. Finish without having to walk. Oh, and not come in last. I knew I could do it. I was just so nervous.
- I trained by myself. Well, I actually trained with Presley and Caleb. I pushed them both in the jogging stroller in the mornings after taking the older girls to school. I wanted to be by myself, mainly so I didn't hold anyone back-since this was my first time. However, once I got to the race itself, I felt very alone. There were sooooo many people and it seemed like everyone knew someone and was in a group. I was all by myself.
- When I got out of the car to walk to the starting line, my legs were shaking. There were soooo many people there! The 5K alone had almost 1200 people and the marathon and 1/2 marathon started at the same time. In all, there were over 3000 runners at the starting line. Did I mention I knew absolutely no one? Again, I felt way out of place.
- I saw a lady wearing a KU shirt. She ran the 1/2 marathon. I talked to her and found out she was from Great Bend, small world-
- a little girl sang the Star Spangled Banner before the race. I found myself wishing I could have sung it...
- I stayed in the back. I heard the 30 second warning. When I heard the gun I just saw people jogging, we finally made it to the actually start line, then those around me started running. It was sheer craziness.
- I knew the route, I had run it several times. My biggest fear was starting too fast and running out of steam. I went slower for that reason. Someone next to me had a fancy watch that could tell your pace. I want that watch!
- you can never hear enough people cheering and cow bells clinging when you run. That alone was totally worth it.
- I ran. And ran. And ran. Mile 1-check. Mile 2-check. I felt great, but I still didn't want to pick up the pace. I knew the last 1/2 mile had 2 uphill bridges and it was the hardest of the whole course. Mile 3-check. When I came down the last paseo I saw Kevin and the kids-Kevin was cheering me on, while the kids didn't have a clue as to what was going on.
- When it was over, I felt like I could have kept going. I wasn't tired. I wasn't out of breath. My legs didn't hurt. I found myself wishing I would have pushed myself harder. Oh well. I met my goal-I ran the whole race. And, I didn't finish last!
- My official time was 33:55. My pace was 10:55. I was happy with that. I came in 576 out of 1180 runners, 253 out of 677 female runners, and 40 out of 91 female runners ages 35-39. I was actually really happy and thought that's about how I trained to finish. Right in the middle ;-)
- The adrenaline started to wear off in the afternoon and the pain in my legs kicked in. Extra strength tylenol has been my best friend since.
- I've realized that my diet needs to change if I'm really serious about running. Running this 5K the week after Halloween wasn't the easiest on my candy-filled belly. And, that's all I'm gonna say about that.
- Now, I'm wondering what's next?
- I would love to train for a 1/2 marathon. Love. Love. Love. I'm still nursing Caleb and Presley starts to scream at the top of her lungs if I run more than 40 minutes or so while she's in the stroller, so we'll see. I've caught the running bug though, and I love it!
