First Race

I finally signed up for, and finished, my very first organized 5K race!  I ran the Build a Gym Build a Life, a smaller race, because I'd seen a flyer and it benefited local developmentally disabled adults, whom are very near and dear to my heart. Now normally, I'm not invested in the cause.  Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad charities fund raise using races, but I generally look to see if there's a medal or t-shirt, or what day it falls on...

...and then back out anyway.

But not this race.  I even purchased a "gift bib" because I would have donated the extra amount anyway and this way an unsuspecting friend or acquaintance would get a free race.

I always kind of thought that runs and training are for me, and that they are the commitment I'm making to myself and it's my time.  Which, in the end, is true.  My friend that ended up taking the extra bib is a very fast runner and I lost sight of her probably within the first half mile or so.  On that last half mile, it dawned on me that I would have someone waiting for me at the finish line and it made it so much easier to start going all out in the last stretch!

37:20

Enough to earn third place female 30-39!

I'm tired, my legs are sore, but I'm really glad I did it.

Grit

It's been too long.  I had a run that, well, took everything in me to keep from tossing my cookies.  I thought it was nerves from my final finals week and interviewing and picking a job and, and, and...

Little did I know there was a raging bug going around that day, though I wondered why I've been so flush and warm even on my rest days (no fever).  So I took a break.  Which is weird when you want to keep going and going and going. Then I ran 3 short little miles after a week off.  Those were some times and splits!

Did I mention how I started this whole journey???  No? Well, here goes nothing:

I'd been feeling lost.  I was drinking too much and thought maybe I was alcoholic. I even went to meetings, just to see. I liked a lot of the overall message of "the program" but by all accounts, being 150% brutally honest with my doctor and my closest friends, I didn't present as alcoholic.

Pre-alcoholic?  Perhaps.  Drinking too much?  Definitely true at the time.  But the thing I kept going back to was that whole meditation concept.

Now, everyone thinks of meditation as sitting still, legs crossed, all silent or "ohm-y." Which works for a great many people.  Other choose yoga, or some other discipline.  I hated, HATED all of them.

One day I took a walk.  This walk was refreshing and all that, but I still felt something was missing.  Watching my close friend throughout her sober, running journey, I was inspired.  So I jogged a bit here and there on my next "walk."  Then I used this app designed to help condition people from couch to 5K (3.1 miles) and sorta did some stuff with it.  I went, from July to November 2016, from a 17:56 "run" to a 13:51 pace.  Nothing to write home about, but I stuck with it.  This was my new meditation.

That first run coming off being sick last week: 12:40 average pace!

So listen to your body.  Take fitness classes during the winter if running outside is too difficult or impractical altogether.  But sometimes you gotta cut yourself some slack. Here I was thinking I was being a big baby about an upset tummy and it was a crazy virus the whole time.  I'm still not thrilled about the missed runs, but part of the journey is overcoming setbacks.

My long run this past Sunday.  It took half the morning to talk myself into getting it done: 6 miles with a 14:49 pace...ewwwwww! It was hotter and more humid than expected. And I shall continue to chug along!

Week 1 In Review

I did this thing.

I signed up, and fully paid for, the Akron Race Series.  I'd already planned on a few 5Ks throughout the year, but nothing like this to make a commitment-phobe start feeling a bit anxious.  OK, a LOT anxious!

Luckily, I had been taking an aerobic fitness class throughout the late winter/early spring season, so my first run wasn't as atrocious as I'd expected.So Two relatively easy miles, but I didn't push myself or make any major strides here.

My second training run...I slogged and walked more than I wanted. I felt like crap.

My calves whined.

My shins yelled at me.

Eventually I shut all those voices out...you know, the ones that say things like "you can't do this anyway, so just quit now." The like. Somehow after the first 1 1/2 miles I managed to find my stride and those voices meant nothing. NOTHING.  They told me this whole marathon thing was a mental game more than anything.

So...cross training.  There's varying perspectives on this and honestly I just listened to what my body wanted and I wanted to move.  But one days was shin-splint-y and another was a legit scheduled cross training day.  Elliptical training was boooorrrrriiinnngggg.  No wonder I thought I wasn't a runner!  I'd owned an elliptical before and thought I just had a 40-min or less attention span, but no really, it kinda sucks (for me).

My bike ride?  I am so lucky to have found a used, very nice bicycle and it was a bit daunting at first.  I hadn't ridden a real bike since high school or maybe even middle school, but after a mile or so, there's a reason they say it's like riding a bike.  It was so fun, despite the sprinkles and cloudy day!  But then I knew the next day was my long run: 5.5 miles.  That alone made me a bit anxious.

My mom told me she wasn't going to attend my college (late in life) graduation. I should not have been surprised by this, but it didn't hurt any less.  I know it's just who she is and she can't help her mental illness, but I am her only daughter and I really wanted my mommy!

After crying my eyes out for who knows how long, I went to bed late, woke up late (missed the group run), and managed to get myself dressed for a long run. Honestly, I was so upset and had that morning-after-crying headache lingering so all I hoped for was to make it 5.5 miles, walking, crawling, honestly I didn't care how.  All I knew is everyone had told me no matter what I do, I better not skip that long run!

I messaged a fellow runner saying my plan was to just get through and she said to channel my emotions to make the miles. I leave out my front door and despite my best efforts my socks are WET almost right away. I could go back, it's not a terrible detour to get dry socks.  But what happens on race day if I can't turn around and get new socks???

So I get to the trail and start jogging at a slow pace.  I can sort of sing along to my headphones, a test I used throughout my run to make sure I wasn't going too hard too fast.  And I jog.  And I jog.

Huh.

I haven't heard my split pace...did I miss it?  Oh well, keep on jogging.

Wait a minute...I'm almost at the two mile mark from my bike ride yesterday.  I dig my phone out and realize the app had frozen. Three minutes and sixteen seconds in!!!!  ARRRGHHGGHGHGH!!!! I should have looked sooner!!!  I'm still jogging by the way since I am being stubborn this day. But part of me totally wants to a full-on toddler style meltdown, complete with stomping feet and screaming.  I reset my phone since I couldn't get the app to cooperate and then open a few backup apps and have them start tracking my mileage.  But I still lost two whole miles (at least!)!!! And I'm still a bit misty-eyed with the frustration of my mom and the stupid app and my stupid phone and my stupid socks are wet from the stupid puddle and I forgot my stupid inhaler and a stupid dollar to stop at stupid Circle K on my way back.... But I keep jogging, because I honestly don't know what else to do and my legs seem to know to just keep going.

And I hit mile 4.  What???!!!  I haven't even walked yet.  So I break down to a walk and grab a few sips, gulps really, of water.  My legs felt weird so I went back into a jog.  Now things are starting to hurt a little.  I feel muscles that are starting to whimper a bit.

I keep jogging.

It's a bit tougher now.  I shorten my stride, but I'm still moving.  Allegedly my pace was improving, but I felt like my legs were going through molasses.

Jogging with even shorter strides now.

I just have to get to the railroad tracks and maybe I'll walk a little there.  So I do, and I did to get another good gulp of water.

And then I see it.

Is that my road???  I think that's my road...  Yep, that's definitely my road! Nothing like seeing how close you are to home to start dreaming about a nice hot bath and soaking to get you to pick up the pace!!!  Well, I tried.  It was a marginal improvement.

But I did it.  I ran just a bit farther than I had in my life and I'm pretty sure at this point that I can do this whole marathon thing...