Run girl

I did it. I ran a 5k!!

Before the 5k: sleepy but ready!

This has been on my life list for awhile now, and I added it to my "14 in 2014" list at the beginning of the year. I knew I could do it, but you see, me and running? We've never been friends. I've always preferred Pilates and power walking over jogging or running. Plus, I look a mess during/immediately following/two hours after I run. It's really not my best look. 

But I started the Couch to 5k program again in late January, giving myself plenty of time to train up, since I knew it would be painful. 

(Side note: I started the Couch to 5k program last year too, and got pretty far but never finished. Fail.)

This time, I remained focused and dedicated and ran like I was supposed to. My goal was to run the 5k without stopping to walk, but a few weeks ago I realized that my stamina just wasn't there. I would probably have to walk, but that was okay: I had made a lot of progress. And for a non-runner and someone who dreaded "The Mile" in PE classes for most of my youth, being able to run almost three miles without stopping was a huge success in itself.

On Saturday - race day - I was nervous but pretty jacked up and ready to get it over with go. Alex ran it with me, and I couldn't have done it without his encouragement every single step of the way. He kept saying "Let's just run to that sign up there" or "You're doing great, keep breathing" (important, I guess) and sometimes "You're running faster than your training pace - slow down." Even though he could have done it a lot faster, he stayed with me the whole way. And although I did take two short walk breaks - which may have accounted for a total of a tenth of a mile - I ran it a full four minutes faster than my best training time at home: 32:38. I know this is a pretty slow time, but for me, it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line and see that I was sub-33. Honestly, crossing the finish line was a great feeling, period. The DJ was yelling "Looking good! You end at the finish line! You're almost there!" It was actually a ton of fun.

Will I run another race of any kind? Jury's still out. But I know I can do it, and the competitive side of me knows I can do even better. We'll see what the future holds, but for now, I'm getting back to my barre workouts and will run when I feel like it.

At home, post-race. we did it!!

I'm still kinda on that crossing-the-finish-line high. What a feeling!

xo
KH