This spring I started running. I decided that one of my goals for the summer would be to run a 5K.
So, just a little background info on me: I don't run, or rather, I didn't run. Not for fun, and most begrudgingly when I was required to do it for PE. I can remember running the timed mile in PE and never broke thirteen minutes. The instant I started running, I would get a stitch in my side and had to walk. Running sucked to me and I could never imagine why anyone would want to do it for fun.
That being said, I've learned a thing or two about myself, my body and really fitness in general since my "wonder years" and decided to try something out of the ordinary (for me, at least) and running was that something.
I was perusing through Pinterest when one post caught my eye.
I saw this and knew I could accomplish it since it's broken down in easily-doable increments of running.
I started the following Monday keeping to the calendar, but felt like it was a little too easy. This was encouraging, telling me that I maybe wasn't a total couch potato. I decided one day to just run for as long as I could, just to sort of see where I was. I jogged for 15 full minutes, before I slowed to a walk and even then felt like I could go even further. The next time, I decided to really push myself to the point where I had to walk. I think that time I got to about 20 min. Looking at my schedule, I was feeling pretty good. A 20 minutes jog wasn't until week 8 and I had just finished week 2. From there I just kept adding on the minutes, then eventually switched to miles...
... which brings us to the end of June and I decided I wanted to race. I checked online to see if there were any upcoming races. I found the Westfest Family Classic 5K was that weekend, so my little sister Sarah and I registered.
I had a blast.
I had a goal to finish the race in 33 minutes. The weather was hot and my ankle was a little sore, but I ran the whole thing, even sprinted at the end. Sarah was nice enough to keep a steady pace by my side, even though I'm sure she could have taken off and finished way before me.
When the race was over and we found out what are standings were, I was thrilled. We finished the race in 33 min 56 seconds.
Sarah placed 13th in her age group and I placed 10th. Overall we place 167th and 168th (out of 351 racers). And that ain't bad.
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| Sarah and I sprinting across the finish line |
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| We're sort of covered up in this picture, but #412 in the orange shirt cracks me up. He looks like he just saw a ghost! |
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| Look who came to meet me at the finish line! |
Lesson I learned from this experience: I can do anything I set my mind to. I can set goals and reach them. I can be an athlete if I want to be...
..and I have the pit-stains to prove it!
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