My First 5K

I grew up in a family of runners.  My father has run the NYC marathon, my sister was a competitive cross country runner in college, my brother is a personal fitness trainer/soccer player/athlete that could run a race without any kind of training, and even my mother has run a 5k in the past.  And then there is me, the one person in the family that has trouble running to the mailbox and back.  I have always said that I would be in big trouble if I ever had to run for my life!  Well, I decided it was time to give running a try.

It all started when my sister decided to run the Seaside Heights half marathon.  She asked us to go along and run the 5k race and the help support her.  My original plan was just to put Ryan in the jogging stroller and walk the race.  I planned on doing it at a quick pace, but not to run.  But then I started working out much more regularly and I felt like I was in much better shape.  Side note- like I said earlier, I have the advantage of having a brother who is a personal strength and conditioning coach and owns his own gym.  As long as I have a babysitter, I can go and workout whenever I want.  His group sessions really kick my ass, but I have become addicted to them.  I try to go at least 3 times a week, but Mike and I have to take turns with who gets to go at night.  Anyway, this past week I was feeling pretty good and decided what the hell, I am going to run the race.  The final push was when my dad volunteered to hang out with Ryan during the run so I didn't even have to worry about the stroller. 

So I didn't train to run (like I have attempted to do in the past), instead I just worked out and got into better shape over all.  I still didn't expect to run the entire 3 miles.  Mom and I had made a plan to run as much as we could, but take several breaks to walk.  That being said, I shocked myself when I actually ran the entire race.  If you are a runner this probably seems like such a small accomplishment and a silly blog post, but for someone who doesn't run EVER, this is really a big deal. 

The first mile felt really long and I got a cramp in my stomach.  But I kept going and the cramp went away and I found a good pace.  The second and third mile were much easier.  By the end I was definitely tired but I felt pretty good.  Running in a race type setting was a huge help!  I am super competitive so running with other people pushed me to keep going and stay focused.  When I looked around and saw a 9 year old girl keeping pace with me or the 75 year old women pass me during the second mile, I kept thinking "If they can do it, I absolutely can do it." 

I am proud to say that I completed this first race in 35 minutes and ran 97% of it.  More importantly, I want to do it again.  Maybe one day I will actually run fast instead of my slow paced jog.  But hey at least I have taken the first step!