GOAL ACHIEVED!!!
The alarm jolted me awake. I groaned at the fact that it was already that time. In the dark, I fumbled around and tried to find my running gear. Deciding it was better to eat a little something early, I dumped the gear and trudged into the kitchen. It was almost 6 a.m. How in the WORLD does my husband do this every day for work? Is he crazy?
Beneath the groaning and mental-whining, a part of me was a-buzz. Today was the 5K! I was actually going to DO this. I was excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. This anxiety was part of the reason I was dragging this morning, since I’d had trouble sleeping for the past two nights knowing this day was almost here.
After quickly downing some protein and juice, I got ready and bid farewell to my husband, who was just getting up to start getting he and the kids ready for the day. As I walked outside, I felt a really brisk wind hit me, which made me immediately dash back inside for my jacket. I have read stories that refer to clouds as “foreboding,” and was never quite sure what that meant. But, looking at the skies this morning, I knew that is exactly what they were. I wondered if the weather would hold out another hour before the race started. Rain looked imminent, and I was NOT looking forward to running in that.
As I arrived at the race site, I was disappointed to find that barely any of my team had showed up. I wasn’t that surprised though. We had gone from about 18 strong to 4 at the last practice. But, I had hoped a lady I’d been running with each workout would be there, as she’d planned to come, and she was not. Once we found the few of us that were there, we ended up having 4 men and 2 women and our three running coaches. Fortunately, my running coach and pacer was there, and was willing to help me through the race.
The sky grew darker, the winds gusted harder, and I felt more stress about whether I was really going to be able to do this. So, we all gathered at the starting line, each carrying our own level of anxiety or adrenaline rush. We joked that with the crowd all around us, it was hard to tell which way to face and which way we’d run. We even found we didn’t know which way to face to salute the flag during the national anthem. Our training group definitely dominated the field of runners, as we were about 90 percent of the entries in the race.
The next thing I knew, we were off and running. The first mile, I found myself already huffing and puffing for air. Running on concrete is so difficult for me, as I have flat feet and have fought injury to my knee all season. My running coach must have sensed my inner-pain and he asked how I was feeling. The pace seemed really fast, way faster than I normally ran, and yet there were people passing ahead of me. I grew paranoid, was I being left behind or is this normal?
My running coach clocked us at 9:30 for the first mile. That’s 45 seconds faster than I had been running it on a good day. No WONDER, I was having a hard time! For those of you who do not run, 45 seconds may sound like nothing, but actually when you’re pacing yourself that is quite a lot. I guess I would not be achieving the goal the coaches had given us, to reach a negative split (running slower the first mile, then picking up the pace for the last two). As I rounded the corner entering the neighborhood portion of the race, I decided that maybe just finishing should be my goal. After all, this was my first 5K!
That second mile was really a killer. It began raining really wildly, and the wind smacked it fiercly in our face, blowing against us most of the way. I tried to make my usual self-deprecating jokes to my coach through the whole thing, but they fell flat because it really was as hard as I was joking that it was.
At the end of mile two, we were back at the clubhouse again, where crowds were cheering. I shouldn’t say crowds, but those few brave souls who chose to come out and stand in the rain to offer us water as we trudged by or to cheer us on to the end. Bless their hearts. I don’t know if they were family members, friends or neighbors, but they sure helped probably more than they realized. And every time I’d feel like I could not go on, I’d hear someone from my training group cheering me on, or my running coach telling me we were almost there.
The third mile was a loop around a neighborhood lake. I had thought this would be the easiest leg, as it was at least scenic and the end of the race. It was not. The rain picked up and the wind was blowing in gusts that literally made you change your path as you ran. My running coach tried to run a little ahead of me, to block some of the wind. The first straight portion of this oval loop we lost our tree cover and I literally had to tuck my head down to push through the wind and rain, not even watching where I was going at times.
You know, about now I should interject something. I always hated when your parents would whine about how things were so much harder for them. You know the stories--"well, WE walked to school barefoot, up hill, in the snow and ice?" I know that my story is starting to sound like that here. But, in all honesty, the weather was really bad! My running coach was even saying a lot of, “Oh mans” and “ I can’t BELIEVE this weather.” The man runs marathons like they are walks in the park. So, if he said it was bad, well, believe him!
After I made that windy straight-away, I hit the curve where there were lots of trees. I could feel myself picking up pace. My coach warned not to “kick it in” too early, as it is easy to die right at the end if you start too soon. But, I could not stop my legs. They were reaching out, begging to be done already. As I hit the final 200 yards, I pushed with all I had.
AND I FINISHED! I did it! And, I ran it in record time for me--a full minute under what I thought I might run on a nice/sunny running day! I think that I mentally willed that time to be less, out of just wanting to be DONE with the race!
As I caught my breath, I looked up to see a surprise. My husband and two kids were walking toward me, with windbreakers on and smiles to greet me. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see them. And what of my son’s t-ball game that I had worried so much about on this blog? Well, it was cancelled. They’d spent part of the race trying to find where to park and the rest trying to find me. I don’t think they saw me run at all, or if they did it was for a brief second. But, it still felt like such a joy to see them there at the end.
My son, still not quite sure of how this whole 5K thing works, kept insisting that he was sure that I got at least third place. (Folks, I was FAR from third!) I tried explaining to him that, for me, just running that race and finishing without walking was a big accomplishment.
People decide to start a running program for many reasons: to lose weight, to meet friends, and to get fit. I had a very big reason for needing to do this program. I have a 60 percent chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes in the next ten years. I have not lost the weight I need to yet, to prevent this. And, I have a lot of frustration about this. But, I feel better than I have felt in years.
I know that this is just the beginning of a new way of living for me. I just pray that my race through life from here on out has a little less wind and rain. But, I do know now--if I am faced with a downpour and gusts that try to push me down, at least I know now that I can withstand it and finish with my head held high. Just like I did today…
Beneath the groaning and mental-whining, a part of me was a-buzz. Today was the 5K! I was actually going to DO this. I was excited, anxious, and nervous all at the same time. This anxiety was part of the reason I was dragging this morning, since I’d had trouble sleeping for the past two nights knowing this day was almost here.
After quickly downing some protein and juice, I got ready and bid farewell to my husband, who was just getting up to start getting he and the kids ready for the day. As I walked outside, I felt a really brisk wind hit me, which made me immediately dash back inside for my jacket. I have read stories that refer to clouds as “foreboding,” and was never quite sure what that meant. But, looking at the skies this morning, I knew that is exactly what they were. I wondered if the weather would hold out another hour before the race started. Rain looked imminent, and I was NOT looking forward to running in that.
As I arrived at the race site, I was disappointed to find that barely any of my team had showed up. I wasn’t that surprised though. We had gone from about 18 strong to 4 at the last practice. But, I had hoped a lady I’d been running with each workout would be there, as she’d planned to come, and she was not. Once we found the few of us that were there, we ended up having 4 men and 2 women and our three running coaches. Fortunately, my running coach and pacer was there, and was willing to help me through the race.
The sky grew darker, the winds gusted harder, and I felt more stress about whether I was really going to be able to do this. So, we all gathered at the starting line, each carrying our own level of anxiety or adrenaline rush. We joked that with the crowd all around us, it was hard to tell which way to face and which way we’d run. We even found we didn’t know which way to face to salute the flag during the national anthem. Our training group definitely dominated the field of runners, as we were about 90 percent of the entries in the race.
The next thing I knew, we were off and running. The first mile, I found myself already huffing and puffing for air. Running on concrete is so difficult for me, as I have flat feet and have fought injury to my knee all season. My running coach must have sensed my inner-pain and he asked how I was feeling. The pace seemed really fast, way faster than I normally ran, and yet there were people passing ahead of me. I grew paranoid, was I being left behind or is this normal?
My running coach clocked us at 9:30 for the first mile. That’s 45 seconds faster than I had been running it on a good day. No WONDER, I was having a hard time! For those of you who do not run, 45 seconds may sound like nothing, but actually when you’re pacing yourself that is quite a lot. I guess I would not be achieving the goal the coaches had given us, to reach a negative split (running slower the first mile, then picking up the pace for the last two). As I rounded the corner entering the neighborhood portion of the race, I decided that maybe just finishing should be my goal. After all, this was my first 5K!
That second mile was really a killer. It began raining really wildly, and the wind smacked it fiercly in our face, blowing against us most of the way. I tried to make my usual self-deprecating jokes to my coach through the whole thing, but they fell flat because it really was as hard as I was joking that it was.
At the end of mile two, we were back at the clubhouse again, where crowds were cheering. I shouldn’t say crowds, but those few brave souls who chose to come out and stand in the rain to offer us water as we trudged by or to cheer us on to the end. Bless their hearts. I don’t know if they were family members, friends or neighbors, but they sure helped probably more than they realized. And every time I’d feel like I could not go on, I’d hear someone from my training group cheering me on, or my running coach telling me we were almost there.
The third mile was a loop around a neighborhood lake. I had thought this would be the easiest leg, as it was at least scenic and the end of the race. It was not. The rain picked up and the wind was blowing in gusts that literally made you change your path as you ran. My running coach tried to run a little ahead of me, to block some of the wind. The first straight portion of this oval loop we lost our tree cover and I literally had to tuck my head down to push through the wind and rain, not even watching where I was going at times.
You know, about now I should interject something. I always hated when your parents would whine about how things were so much harder for them. You know the stories--"well, WE walked to school barefoot, up hill, in the snow and ice?" I know that my story is starting to sound like that here. But, in all honesty, the weather was really bad! My running coach was even saying a lot of, “Oh mans” and “ I can’t BELIEVE this weather.” The man runs marathons like they are walks in the park. So, if he said it was bad, well, believe him!
After I made that windy straight-away, I hit the curve where there were lots of trees. I could feel myself picking up pace. My coach warned not to “kick it in” too early, as it is easy to die right at the end if you start too soon. But, I could not stop my legs. They were reaching out, begging to be done already. As I hit the final 200 yards, I pushed with all I had.
AND I FINISHED! I did it! And, I ran it in record time for me--a full minute under what I thought I might run on a nice/sunny running day! I think that I mentally willed that time to be less, out of just wanting to be DONE with the race!
As I caught my breath, I looked up to see a surprise. My husband and two kids were walking toward me, with windbreakers on and smiles to greet me. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to see them. And what of my son’s t-ball game that I had worried so much about on this blog? Well, it was cancelled. They’d spent part of the race trying to find where to park and the rest trying to find me. I don’t think they saw me run at all, or if they did it was for a brief second. But, it still felt like such a joy to see them there at the end.
My son, still not quite sure of how this whole 5K thing works, kept insisting that he was sure that I got at least third place. (Folks, I was FAR from third!) I tried explaining to him that, for me, just running that race and finishing without walking was a big accomplishment.
People decide to start a running program for many reasons: to lose weight, to meet friends, and to get fit. I had a very big reason for needing to do this program. I have a 60 percent chance of developing Type 2 Diabetes in the next ten years. I have not lost the weight I need to yet, to prevent this. And, I have a lot of frustration about this. But, I feel better than I have felt in years.
I know that this is just the beginning of a new way of living for me. I just pray that my race through life from here on out has a little less wind and rain. But, I do know now--if I am faced with a downpour and gusts that try to push me down, at least I know now that I can withstand it and finish with my head held high. Just like I did today…
posted by Crazy MomCat @ 10:00 PM
3 Comments:
You. Rock.
I am so proud of you!! You are my hero.
Awesome entry. I truly feel inspired.
Woo hoo! BTW, I just about never break the 10-min mile mark... so we'd be perfect running buddies!
(just imagine how awesome you'll do when you're not running in a monsoon!)
Hi there, I was out searching for the latest information on Tummy Tuck Prices and found your site. Although not exactly what I was looking for, it certainly got my attention and interest. Glad I stopped by:-)
Post a Comment
<< Home