I Did It

Yes you read that correctly.

Today I finished my first 5K race and beat my treadmill time by more than a full minute!

Even though I was only on week 8 of Couch to 5K i was talked into entering the Cherry Blossom 5K race/walk by a friend. Actually I had originally singed up for the 10 mile race but life intervened three weeks into training for it (pulled my hamstring, long hours at the job) so about a month ago I transferred to the 5k run/walk. I really was disappointed in myself- but though "hey everyone has to start somewhere".

So since then I've been putting most of my effort into form, breath and trying to improve my time. Anyone in the DC area knows that the temperatures haven't been the best for running outside, so i've been logging the hours on the treadmill. I haven't been able to finish the 3.1 miles in under 34 minutes, no matter what I tried (although I have discovered that chewing gum helps me pace myself- what can I say, i'm a weird-o). So this morning my goal was to run the entire course, no walking and to finish with my head held high in under 35 minutes. Since this was my first time really running outside and my first race, I really had no clue what to expect.

Thankfully a majority of the runners this morning were super helpful and encouraging. I got up at the crack of - no wait, it wasn't even dawn yet to get ready. The boyfriend got up and drove me into town b/c we got word that metro wasn't cooperating this morning (shocking, right!?) and I arrived just as the 10 mile runners began their run. After watching them for a bit (and being slightly envious- i'm not going to lie) I made my way over to the 5K run/walk starting line and began warming up.

The first mile was tough, I couldn't pace myself in the large crowd- actually it was tough to do more than just jog. Thankfully around 1.5 miles the crowds started to thin out and i could just run. When I hit the Memorial Bridge, I was shocked at just.how.long.it.was. The length combined with the wind hitting me from both sides was something i've never experienced and SUPER intimidated me- but thankfully the AWESOME volunteers cheering us along made all the difference in the world. I slowed myself down a bit and lengthened my stride, which seemed to help combat the fatigue and the effects of the wind and just got down to business.

I didn't hit me until halfway through the race that - I was doing it! Me, the woman who 8 weeks ago couldn't run 2 minutes without being out of breath was running an actual 5k! The trip back was smooth and then I saw it- THE FINISH LINE- and the competitive side of me took over, I dug in and changed to a sprint and crossed the finish line at 32.11 (unofficial time). Now to the more advanced runner that time seems super slow and doesn't seem like much to celebrate, but for my first race outside, my first time in that atmosphere- it was an awesome feeling. 2 minutes and 40 seconds off my best treadmill time.

I immediately came home and downloaded Bridge to 10k - and hopefully will sign up for one of those soon. For awhile I want to stick to smaller races that don't draw the "elite" runners that I come into contact with in the DC area. To have someone snub their nose up at my accomplishments doesn't go over easy- but i'm excited to run more races, improve my pace, and next year that 10 miler finishers medal will be mine!



P.S. In probably my dumbest move yet- I felt bad about taking yesterday off just for a 5k- so I did Jillian Michaels 6 weeks 6 pack. I felt like I ran this race with a corset on. OUCH, but in a good way.

EDIT: Just got my official time- 31:12. Finished 278 out of 1270! Much happier now!