5K -ill-a-thon

Nick and I ran in our first 5K last weekend. This had been a goal of mine since this summer, when I started doing my from "Couch to 5K" training schedule. I had never been a big outdoor runner; I really enjoyed running on a treadmill in the gym being able to watch tv, listen to music, and not think about anything. But with no treadmill of my own and a busy schedule, I wasn't getting any work out time in and adding a few pounds on.

So I decided to take it easy, start from scratch, and learn to enjoy running outdoors. At first the transition from treadmill to cement was tough, my toe-striker running style wasn't very comfortable in longer runs. I adapted my style, kept running, and wah-la! 5K.

My stellar husband finished right around 21-22 minutes, with a great ~7min/mile pace. I, however, finished in a slow and steady 32-33 minutes. The entire race I fought my fierce internal competitor, let people pass me at their faster paces, and reminded myself that this was for ME. My goal wasn't to have an amazing time; my goal was to finish the race and to have run the whole time.

And I did it. I did it. On the last home stretch, I held back tears that symbolized: I DID IT!!! All those training sessions (although there probably should have been more of them) when I pictured running the 5K paid off.

And even though I wasn't the fastest or the first place of my age group and I got passed by several people, I'm still really proud of myself for completing a life goal.

Next race? Maybe a 5K in December...we'll see....