Saturday, March 10, 2012, I ran my first 5k. I have participated in other 5ks such as Race for a Cure or Take Steps, but this is the first 5k I've ever RAN! Running a 5k has been a goal of mine for a while now, but just like always, I have been too afraid to do it. I knew I could do it, but I wanted to do it with a good time! In my mind, before I ever started training, I thought I'd like to do it in under 30 minutes...I didn't realize what a lofty goal that was for my first 5k. I never did it...mainly because I didn't want to do it alone, and I had no one to train with. That was until my athletic friend, Julie, started training for a 10k and asked if anyone wanted to train with her. So I did. Although I wasn't nearly as fast as she was (she's a machine, I swear!), I was encouraged by how well I was able to keep up with her, and I felt motivated to push myself to try and keep up. Each time we would run, my pace would get faster and faster. Julie told me about Dawson's Perseverance 5k that she was participating in, and I decided to do it too. That was until our house sold and we started preparing to move. My plate was so full already, and I thought trying to do the 5k amidst all of this chaos would just be too much for me (not to mention I hadn't ran in weeks). I kept trying to make excuses and get out of it, but Julie and David kept encouraging me to do it. So I gave in and ran...and I'm so glad that I did! I woke up at 6 A.M. and got ready for the race. I didn't see Julie before the race began, and started the race by myself. Less than half a mile in, I look over to my right, and there is Julie! We ran together most of the way. Every now and then, I would feel a burst of energy and run ahead of her. The last mile I began to run out of steam. She did end up finishing ahead of me [but not much ;)]. I started to get a little emotional toward the end...I was so close to the finish line, and so close to my goal time. I did not finish in under 30 minutes, but I did finish in 32 minutes and 17 seconds...not much over my goal, and not too shabby for my first 5k! I feel so proud of myself, and I can't wait to participate in more races in the future. [I hope to achieve my goal of under 30 minutes in the next one ;).]
before the race
ready to run
getting close
almost there
Yay, Just finished...32 minutes 17 seconds!!! :D
feeling pretty proud of myself
You should be proud of yourself. I could not run 1 mile... probably couldn't even run 1k! My plan is to start training after the baby, perhaps next spring. Getting back into shape is one the top of my priority list. However, I will have to see if my knees can handle it.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, great job. Good luck at your next 5k I'm sure you will do even better next time.