Saturday, October 22, 2011

My First 5K

Today I ran my first 5k!  WhooHoo!!  After 3 long, hard months of running in mostly hot, humid weather here in good ol Louisiana I entered my first race where I actually ran.  How appropriate is it that my first race was the No Excuses 5k & 10k race?  I made no excuses to myself during my training period and kept it up with pure self motivation. 

After putting myself to bed at a decent hour on a Friday night I woke up at 5:45 a.m. to begin my morning.  Actually, I do kinda remember waking up at 4:45 a.m. and looking at my alarm.  I managed to go back to sleep for another hour.  It was a fairly relaxing morning as I got ready.  No need to worry about getting kids up, fixing breakfast, or yelling at anyone to come on or I'm leaving without them.  I left at 7 A.M., stopped to get gas, and even arrived 30 minutes early.  Amazing!

Since I arrived early I had enough time to scope out my running path and watch the other runners getting ready.  At 8:00 there was a 1/2 mile fun run.  I decided not to do this because I didn't want to risk getting tired before I even started.  Instead, I warmed up by walking around and doing some stretches.  As I walked around I met some other runners.  Runners are such friendly people.  At 8:30 the race began.  I began in the middle of the pack and was quickly passed by other runners.  You would not believe the serious runners here.  I nicknamed one particular runner Speedy Gonzales.  He was running the 10K and I think he must have passed me several times.  Nevertheless, this did not discourage me.  My goal was to get to the finish line without walking. 

As I rounded the corner of the 3 mile marker and passed through a tunnel, I felt a feeling of pride as I saw the finish line and realized I did it.  I crossed the finish line in 37 minutes, 39 seconds.  My husband even surprised me and was waiting on the other side videoing my accomplishment. 

What an awesome feeling to find a new interest that I enjoy so much with an added bonus of getting me in shape.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Goal Achieved

After 3 long months of hard work I did it!  On this cool, crisp October morning, I ran 3.1 miles!  As I started out this morning I stepped out of the house, and it was cold!  I quickly went back in and changed from tank top to t-shirt.  My body has been so used to hot and humid it didn't quite know how to react to cold.  Nevertheless, my body adjusted and pushed past the 3 mile goal today.

That first mile is not so bad now.  I start out with a slow, steady pace and give my body time to warm up.  I went my usual route this morning which took me by the pond I love behind my house.  After the first mile, I begin the 2nd mile down the road past the 1/2 mile pond.  This morning I noticed 5 geese out by the side of the road looking for food.  They gave me a look as I passed by.  I came to the end of the street and turned around for mile 3.  As I ran passed the geese again they honked at me seeming to say, "You can do it!  Keep going!"  And, I did!  I kept running and pushed myself to finish that last mile.  Instead of stopping at 3 miles I went a little bit more, and then walked the rest of the way home grinning and thinking how awesome that just felt!  My goal to jog 3 miles is achieved!

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