Road to 5k

Hi, I'm Julia and I ran my first 5k yesterday.

I was asked to post this by my good friend Megan for the If I Were a Fit Chick group on Facebook about my experience with the Race and my journey.

Intro
I'd like to start with the fact that I'm not a runner. Okay, I guess now I am, but for the longest time (the past 30 years) I detested running. When I was on a team sport, running laps was hell, I could never keep up, I never could catch my breath, and I was always last.

Yet I took up running last year as a sport, and as a challenge. I'd been on Weight Watchers for about a year at that point and had lost about 40 lbs. I did a lot of walking, but I did not belong to a gym, so my exercise options were a bit limited.

I found the Couch to 5k program which was a great way to start--8 weeks of an interval training program which starts you off running slowly. I didn't do the complete 8 weeks, but after 3 or 4 I was definitely feeling a difference. That started off in Late Feb/early March. I continued doing short 20 minute-ish runs through July with the plans of running a 5k in the summer. Then I got mono and that all went to hell.

I spent the next five months struggling with getting back into a routine--exercise routine, weight loss routine. I had gone down to a record low of 180 lbs reaching my 50 lb goal, but I haven't seen that number since. I fluctuated on the scale, gaining back as much as 15 lbs (holidays!) and struggled with being off track and uninspired and unmotivated.

Back on Track
Then January hit & I finally was able to use the New Year Resolution bandwagon as my motivation. Getting back on track has been a slow process, and it's only been a little over a month, but what a difference a month can make!

For one, I gave in and got myself a gym membership-Planet Fitness (I believe it's nationwide)-$10-$20 per month. There was no excuse NOT to! I committed to going 3x/week at first & was able to meet with a trainer who gave me a routine to start out with. I knew in the back of my mind I wanted to run a 5k, so I made sure I included the treadmill in the routines.

The very next week I decided to finally bite the bullet and sign up for a race-which I found on Running In the USA. I signed up for what was very appropriately called the Freezer 5k which was yesterday--February 7th. I figured I'd put it off for so long, that if I actually put my money where my mouth was, I'd actually do it. Regardless of how cold it was going to be.

I also got a little impulsive and decided to sign up for the Pittsburgh Half-Marathon on May 2nd. For those of you from the Fit Chicks--I'm very much looking forward to the event!! And just a little bit terrified.

Anyway--back to the 5k.

Training
So at that point I had four weeks to train myself to run 3.1 miles. I knew I had to pick up the pace a little. At that point I was probably running about 2 miles, but only 1-1.5 without stopping. And I didn't really know how fast I was running since I'd always run outside with no calculated speed.

For the first two weeks I started with 20 minute running sessions 3x a week along with some strength training to support it. I figured out what I could run comfortably, and then slowly challenged myself to run at faster speeds in that 20 minutes. I was amazed at how I was able to do more than I thought I could. Even though it was hard--I was able to do higher speeds at short intervals.

By week three I was feeling good and I knew I was going to have to start working on my endurance. So I decided to run the distance. I worked at a comfortable speed (5.0 on the treadmill) and ran 3.1 miles. Let me tell you. It was harder than I thought it would be--but I was glad I did it. I realized what I was working with.

So the last couple of weeks, I have been alternating my runs to do the 3 mile distance or work on speed intervals. 3 miles still feels long, but it was getting easier. I was able to do it at slightly faster speeds and on a 1.0 incline. And because I knew it was going to be a challenge, 1 day per week I ran outside. The week before the race, I was doing the 3.1 miles in about 36 minutes.

Race Day
Before I knew it, race day was here. It turned out to be a perfect day--cold, but absolutely gorgeous & sunny. I had a friend coming to the race with me, so I had someone to get psyched with, but he's faster and has been running longer so he ran separately. Since I was pre-registered for teh race, I checked in, got my tag (#58) and my race t-shirt.

I'm excited--Race Day & I'm wearing spandex in public! Hey--where's that guy going?...

I didn't warm up as much as I probably should have--mostly because I was just jumping up and down to try to stay warm. And there were a lot of people around so I kind of felt weird even though everyone else was doing the same thing. We weren't lined up by speed as in some bigger races and we ended up standing in the middle of the group of about 250+ runners.

At that point I just wanted to get going. Standing around was just making me cold & nervous. Even with four layers of shirts plus hat & gloves, IT WAS COLD! Oh--and I hadn't gotten any sleep the night before (stupid call on my part).

But all of a sudden, we were off. I had my iPod set up for my running mix & got going. I'm not gonna lie to you--it was hard. Between being tired & cold, my body was screaming at me--and I was not aware there were hills in this park where the race was--those were killer. Also as people were passing me (I stayed to the right), it was a little discouraging. Every once in a while I looked back to make sure I wasn't last. I think I would have cried if I was. I knew I wasn't performing my best, and the thoughts running around inside my head flipped between "Maybe I should quit" to "C'mon you can do this" to "Dude--he's way younger & in better shape and he stopped running before I did?" to "Oh ggod--I just hope I'm not last" My goal was to just keep my pace, keep going--I tried to pick people to keep pace with, but my body didn't seem like it was up for the challenge.

Once I started seeing people come the other way, I figured the turnaround point wasn't too far off--forgetting that these were the faster people! It really felt like I would never get there, but I did eventually see it & tried to keep my pace to get to it. I had made it halfway running! And then came a hill. I tried as far as I could to make it up the hill running, but I had to stop and walk a bit. Okay--not a big deal, I will catch my breath and just pick up again. And I did, but for the rest of the race, my endurance was shot & I alternated between walking and running which was discouraging. I knew it was a short race, but it seemed endless. How was I ever going to run a 1/2 marathon if I couldnt' make it through this?

Finally though I recognized that we were getting close to the end, and then--there it was. The finish line! Seeing that seemed to be the extra jolt I needed. I didn't start sprinting or anything, but I was happy it was over & I wanted to see my time, so I was able to suck it up and run a bit faster. As I was crossing, I saw my friend taking a photo of me crossing the finish line! That was the icing on the cake.

Me in the middle with red gloves

I was so out of breath, so tired, so frustrated, but so exhiliarated to actually have completed a 5k race! My final time? 00:34:25--I was the 221st out of 254. I wasn't last! And I wasn't even last in my age group! My pace was about 11minutes per mile and 5.4 miles per hour! On the treadmill I was running between 5 and 5.3 mph! (Official results)

We did it!

At that point I basically forgot how hard it was and I was just so proud of myself for actually completing it! Believe it or not I was actually hot from all my layers & the sunshine.

We got our water & decided to go for breakfast instead of hanging around for race results since neither of us were going to place. Plus I was HUNGRY!

Mmmm--Diner food! Chocolate chip pancakes, omelet, sausage, home fries & OJ.

Afterward I felt even though I'd accomplished so much, I wanted to run more. But I was getting delirious from exhaustion and needed to wind down. I relaxed with Advil, a warm bath & a cup of tea before Superbowl action and then went to bed before 11 and finally got a good night's sleep. Today I'm a bit sore, but nothing that I can't handle and tomorrow I'll be back at the gym training for May. 3 miles down, 10 to go!

So in closing, it was a fantastic experience--definitely a challenge for me and because I actually followed through on it, it was so rewarding! For those of you who are thinking of signing up for the 1/2 Marathon or ANY race--whether running OR Walking--I say just do it!! The commitment will help motivate you towards a goal, the fitness will challenge you to push yourself to see results, and the feeling of completing a race is a self-gratifying reward that you can't beat.

For the Fit Chicks in Pittsburgh--See you in May! :)

Until next time