2nd 5K

Well after the last 5K On New Year’s Eve (see my previous blog) I decided that I would train a little harder and give it another shot. So with sheer determination, I decided that the best course of action was to go to the local wellness center and use the treadmills, run the local outdoor track and run around in my neighborhood. Though I was still self conscious about how I looked, I just pushed forward leaving the negative thoughts to the haters.

I ran at least 3 times a week. Each run was a struggle. First I battled hip flexor soreness so bad I truly thought that I had torn something. This lasted a couple of months. Then one day I noticed it was better. The more I did, the more determined I was to do more. Mistake, mistake, mistake! While I was “overtraining” my poor body, I needed to be cross training in order to get the whole body in shape. But being a person who really doesn’t enjoy exercise, I ignored good sense. I paid for it too. Every morning I woke so stiff and sore, I could barely move. My runs weren’t long ones, but I increased my distance at least once a week. At first I couldn’t run 200 yards without stopping. But this got better and then I could run a quarter of a mile without stopping. Then it was a half mile. I tried to mix up the surfaces that I was running on just to be sure I was covering all the bases.

No matter how hard I try to get there, I still can’t run a 5K without walking some in order to catch my breath. Not long, only about 10- 20 seconds. Getting my breathing rhythm down is very hard for me. I sound like a freight train coming down the track.

Things were progressing well and my daughter and I were going to the park and running with the dogs and were feeling really good about our progress. Then we decided to go hiking up a local mountain trail. The first time we went, we took our Labrador Retriever and had a blast. The trails were steep but passable for the average hiker. The problem began the next weekend when we went back and decided to tackle one of the more adventurous trails. It had some very steep paths with some actual rock climbing to traverse the trail. The descent was a steep incline over slippery rocks as it had rained earlier in the day. Because of the rain, I decided to wear an older pair of tennis shoes. Oh did I pay the price. In addition to the sore screaming muscles, I developed painful shin splints. An excruciating painful condition that sends shooting pain up and down each side of your shin bones every step you take. I am still battling this problem today from that one adventurous day trip. But I have decided to just try and work through it. Then a reoccurring heel spur came back. Ugh! The stars were lining up against me!

After “training” for 3 and ½ months, I prepared to run in my second 5K. It was a good flat course with only one hill at the end. About 400 people signed up for the race and that included those walking as well.

The night before the race I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep. I ended up only getting about 2 hours of sleep total. The morning of the race I felt sluggish. My daughter was running also and she encouraged me to eat a bagel with peanut butter on it for energy. I don’t usually eat peanut butter but I did so anyway. Afterward I felt jittery and like my blood sugar levels were all out of whack. I had a headache and just felt like crap. I tried to convince myself that it was just nerves and I would settle down once I got there. My shin splints still caused me pain every time I walked. As I was warming up by jogging around before the race, I thought I was going to cry from the pain and just feeling crappy and the bad case of nerves.

This race was different from the New Year’s Eve race because this was in my home town running with people I knew; in the daylight no less. Because I had committed to the race I was determined I was going to make the best of it.

I didn’t even hear the starting horn when it began. This time though I made sure I had my watch ready and working; my music was on and I was off. 200 yards in, I had to walk….I couldn’t get my breathing right. I felt claustrophobic with all the people around me. So I walked and talked to myself inside my head. I calmed my nerves and resumed. I ran about another 1/2 mile and had to walk again. Just a few seconds and then I was off again. Breathing loudly, but with some semblance of a rhythm to it, I started passing slower runners in front of me. Because this was a run/walk event, there were plenty of people behind me. This gave me a boost of confidence. Then about one and half mile in I was feeling very hot, thirsty and winded. The water station came up in perfect time and I grabbed a cup of water. It was just what I needed. Picking up my speed, I hit the 2 mile mark running and ran another 1/2 mile before having to slow down to a walk to catch my breath. After about 30 seconds of breathing deep I saw that the woman who I had been passing back and forth was about to catch up again. She looked like she was my age, so I dug in and took off. As I approached the town square we were circling, I saw our local news camera filming the runners as they went by. Oh Lordy! I couldn’t stop now! I keep digging and then at about 2 and 3/4 miles I saw one of my daughter’s friends running ahead of me. She was 20 years my junior. I had to catch her. She was steadily moving along and I was struggling and struggling hard. Almost there-THERE!!! I passed her..hooray!!!

Then I met the hateful ole hill on the last stretch to the finish line. About that time a friend came back to run me in. He’d finished his first 5K at a very respectable 28 minutes. God Bless Him. He wanted to share his feelings of happiness and cheer me on. He was trying to carry on a conversation with me. I could barely breathe-much less talk….

Just then the girl I had passed came whizzing by me. I faltered and had to walk to catch my breath again! Crap! She patted me on the back as she went by…..so sweet….Then I saw the woman my age coming in from behind…Oh Hell NO! I kicked in the last bit of resolve I had left in me and sprinted to the finish line. Exhausted, exhilarated, and barely breathing with legs of jello I had made it-just beating her! HooRA!!!

While a finish of 36 minutes isn’t exactly earth shattering land records, it was a triumph for me. I didn’t win any awards-not by a long shot-but I did accomplish another goal that I had set for myself. I had shaved off 3 minutes from my previous time coming in 23rd out of 73 in my age group. And after resting for about 10 minutes, I felt remarkably well.

The lesson learned here was simply that I could dig deeper than I ever dreamed possible when motivated….now whether that motivation was proper or not I’m not sure, but it got me there…;)

Tomorrow I run in my 3^rd 5K in the hometown where I grew up…Don’t mind saying I’m a little nervous about doing well. I will have family and friends there watching and cheering us on. I just hope I don’t screw up…..