May was different. This time I planned ahead. I gave myself 8 weeks to complete the Couch to 5K (C25K) app on my phone. I started running outside when it was nice at sunset and became addicted to the gorgeous views I was given while I ran. Then came the rain and I could’ve given up but I had already told so many people that I was going to run the Run or Dye 5K on July 5th that I was fully committed so I began running on the treadmill during naptime.
When I started out I was winded after the 5 minute “brisk warmup walk”. Yup, just 5 minutes of walking was all it took to tire me out but I was determined to run this 5K and reach my goal so I put mind over matter and pushed as hard as I could. When I got tired I would tell myself “run for one more minute” and after that minute I would say “you can push harder than that, how will you run ever run for 5K if you can’t even run 5 minutes, DO THIS!”. And every time my hands touched the treadmill Jillian Michaels (the one in my head anyways) would yell “GET YOUR HANDS OFF MY TREADMILL!!” I pushed myself during my training harder than I ever have and a week before the race I was running 3K straight in 25 minutes according to my treadmill.
 |
| Morning of race day! |
When race day came around I was so nervous because I had never actually ran for 5 kilometers. Let’s face it 3K on a treadmill is a lot different than 5K outdoors on uneven terrain. So I set my goal time for 40-45 minutes. We waited for a long time out in the hot sun while they cleared the path of some obstacle or another and then even longer while they let waves of 100 people at a time leave the starting gate.
 |
| Feeling like I'm in a herd of cattle being round up... |
Sidenote: I chose an untimed, low pressure race (Run or Dye) as my first race because I didn’t want to feel like I was being left in the dust by the other runners but ended up being slightly disappointed by my choice. At this point I discovered this “race” was more like a stroll in the park than an actual 5K. 99.9% of the group came out of the gate walking and then we slowed down from a walking pace to go through the colour zone. It was like walking behind a line of seniors with walkers blocking a mall hallway. I was trying my best to get around people but not succeeding.
After the first colour zone the group loosened up a bit and with some weaving from side to side and dodging trees beside the path I was able to get around the bulk of the group. It was about this time that I realized I should have chosen a more competitive race. I was flying past people and almost tripping over some as they walked into my path. Soon I gave up on running on the path and instead ran on the street or grass beside it. My confidence was building as I spotted other runners, some people were actually running this race after all, then caught up to them and passed them. It felt so great not to be the one that gave up at the start and decided to walk the whole thing. The old me would have either a) not shown up at all or b) started with the intention to run and then walked as soon as I saw everyone else walking.
I pushed harder than I ever have and only walked through the 5 colour zones. When I reached the end I couldn’t believe it was actually over. My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I felt as though I could do another 5 kilometres! I am so proud of myself for pushing through the pain of training and putting mind over matter to reach my goal of running a 5K. Not only that but I beat my goal time of 40-45 minutes with a time of 31 MINUTES!!
After the first colour zone the group loosened up a bit and with some weaving from side to side and dodging trees beside the path I was able to get around the bulk of the group. It was about this time that I realized I should have chosen a more competitive race. I was flying past people and almost tripping over some as they walked into my path. Soon I gave up on running on the path and instead ran on the street or grass beside it. My confidence was building as I spotted other runners, some people were actually running this race after all, then caught up to them and passed them. It felt so great not to be the one that gave up at the start and decided to walk the whole thing. The old me would have either a) not shown up at all or b) started with the intention to run and then walked as soon as I saw everyone else walking.
I pushed harder than I ever have and only walked through the 5 colour zones. When I reached the end I couldn’t believe it was actually over. My adrenaline was pumping so hard that I felt as though I could do another 5 kilometres! I am so proud of myself for pushing through the pain of training and putting mind over matter to reach my goal of running a 5K. Not only that but I beat my goal time of 40-45 minutes with a time of 31 MINUTES!!
 |
| Woohoo! |
I may have conquered my goal of running a 5K but I’m not stopping there. My ultimate goal is to run a marathon. The next steps in my journey are to run a 10K in spring of 2015 and run the half-marathon (yup, 21K) in the Queen City Marathon in September of 2015. I can’t wait to share these experiences with you when I get there!!
 |
| All coloured up! |
 |
| Alice was a bit bored by the end... |
No comments:
Post a Comment