Sunday, October 28, 2012

Enjoying a 5K is not Impossible

For those of you know me personally, you know that I despise running a 5K.  I am built for endurance, not for speed.  Amongst my fellow runners, I am the proverbial Clydesdale, plodding along for miles, so the 5K is not my preferred distance.  I mean, what's the point of a race that you finish just when you are properly getting warmed up and finding your groove?
 
I do love to go to running events with a group of people, though.  And, I really do believe in the power of a race to build community and/or raise money for a meaningful cause.  So, when I got an invite to join my cousin at the Undy 5000, I immediately registered the hubs and me for this 5K.  The Undy 5000 is a race series sponsored by the Colon Cancer Alliance to raise funds and awareness for colon cancer.  My cousin is a survivor and I was more than thrilled to celebrate him and do a 5K in his honor.
 
Yesterday, with my hometown dipping down to a chilly, breezy 38 degrees, we bundled up and headed out.  Here we are huddled up before the race.  The race environment is intended to be a fun-filled race with a wink because you are encouraged to wear underwear on the outside.  We weren't quite that committed, but we did see some crazy costumes.  One lady who wore a thong - and nothing else covering her backside.  The guy who came in first ran only in a pair of whitey-tighties.  Brrr!
 


I have been bonding with my treadmill as I discussed in my last post, so I haven't run outside since June.  That meant my race strategy was to walk with the hubs and enjoy the scenery.  He's not a runner, but loves a good walk.  Since every single time that I have attempted this race strategy, I have ditched my husband, he wisely brought his own headphones because he predicted he wouldn't have company.

He was right. (shh! Don't tell him I said that)  I used the excuse that I wanted to warm up by running and took off.  Two miles later, I was still running. Three-point-one miles later, and I was still running.  Not only was I still running, I was feeling great!  I was having fun and vibing on the energy of the race participants.  I crossed the finish line and was greeted with this image on my watch.

Nope, that's not a PR.  Not even close.  But that is a guarantee that I am still a runner.  In this period of my life when so many things feel like they are not guaranteed, I will take that 5K and run with it.

4 comments:

  1. Ahh this makes me feel like I can do this too -- I have been plodding along but I haven't attempted any type of race in 4 years. I have gained a lot of weight since then....but I have really been back at running this summer and have continued into the fall. You brought back the fun memories and companionship of the racing community -- fun!!! Your time was great!

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  2. You can totally do it, Beth! Picking a race is probably the best motivator there is for keeping your running on track. I'm registered for back-to-back half marathons on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and I know that is keeping me focused on the mileage. Thanks for reading and commenting!

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  3. Hi! Just found your blog through MLFC - love it!

    I never thought that a 5k would be a little run for me, but now that 5/6 miles is my norm, 5 k really does seem short! I'm trying to up my PB on 10k right now, but doing the majority of my training inside. Not really sure how this is going to go over, but, meh! At least we're running, right?

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    1. Thanks for reading, Emilie! I'm a fan of your blog, too! Yes, at least we are running - but I bet that 10k comes easier than you think. Let me know how it goes for you!

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