My first "real" race - the Seaway 5k

Before I knew it, the Seaway Run was upon us...I mean me.  You see, my husband decided the week beforehand that he was going to run too, and I was planning to beat him, so I was kind of looking forward to having him there.  But, his boss decided he needed to work overtime, so I was back to running all by my lonesome.  Bummer.

We went to the Health Expo the night before so I could get my bib and all of that fun stuff.  It was then that I realized crap was getting REAL!  I had a race bib...with a timer thingy on it...and I was running a race with like thousands of other people the next day.  Eeeeks!  I didn't know whether to feel nervous or excited.  So, I went with both.  I decided that I had 2 goals for this race - to run/jog the whole thing, and to finish in 40 minutes or less.

 

Isn't it pretty?  It looks like a plain old race bib, but for me, it really represented so much.  Me, fulfilling that verbal diarrhea commitment made 2 months prior.  Me, running 3 times a week to train and learning to enjoy it.  Me, going absolutely insane.

 

 

I took a photo the night before the race of my first "flat mama".  I'm not sure if this is a MRTT thing or what, but everyone else was posting their pictures of what they planned to wear to the race, so I got in on the fun too.  I stuck with mostly black, because well, black is supposedly slimming...and I can use all the help I can get!



 

And as it turned out on the morning of the race, I wasn't totally by my lonesome.  Though most of these MRTT mamas were doing the 15k or Half Marathon distances, it was really nice to see some friendly faces there.  I am peeking out from the back.  Great group of ladies here, and SO supportive and encouraging!

 

The clock ticked down and soon enough it was go time.  They told us to line up by mile time.  There were these little cheerleader girls with signs, "5 minute mile", "6 minute mile", etc.  As I went to line up, I saw a friend from my MS/HS days, Jodi.  It was her first 5k too, so we decided to start it off together.  We commented about how we'd need to go to the back forty of the line up, since there was no sign for "13 minute mile and slower".  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am pretty slow.  I blame it on the asthma.

 

Suddenly, the race was beginning and we were off.  The course started with a pretty icky hill.  As I headed up the start of the hill, I spotted my Mom and kiddos off to the side.  I shouted to them and waved.  They seemed excited to see me, and knowing they were there to cheer for me gave me a boost. I managed to jog up the hill instead of walking.  I considered that victory #1 for me. 

 

Around the 1 mile mark, I lost Jodi.  I thought she was right behind me and then she was gone.  I was on my own.  It was humid and warm, and I tried to pace myself.  I hadn't even officially finished c25k yet, and this was my first time trying to run an entire 5k.  I was feeling pretty good.  A little past the 2 mile mark, I saw a friendly face.  My friend Jen H. from work was there with a stopwatch.  I remember telling her that I had not walked yet and that I might just make it the whole race.  I kept running.  As I headed into the last bit of the race, and the finish line came into sight a wave of relief and excitement came over me.

 

Holy shit people, I DID IT!  I was almost there.  I was going to make it and I had jogged the whole way!  I only used my inhaler once through the whole race.  About 100 yards before the finish, I spotted my mom and kids off to the side of the finishing chute.  My kids were jumping up and down cheering for me, and it was just the encouragement I needed to finish strong.  I crossed the finish line with a time of 41:42. 



 

Okay, I'm not in this photo, but in my defense the photo people didn't take my picture, and this is better than nothing. 

 

I went to find my mom and kids and when I found them, the tears started.  I had really done it, and I was so proud of me.  My mom cried, I cried...it was a very emo moment, and I'm sure I'll remember it forever...or at least until I end up with dementia or Alzheimer's in my old age.

 

As for my race goals, I couldn't even let myself feel bad about not meeting them both.  I DID run the entire race, even if I didn't quite do it as fast as I was hoping.  I blame it all on that hill.  I hadn't done any running on hills before this race and it really slowed me down.  I'll have lots of races where I can work on improving my time.  On June 22nd, I chose to celebrate the fact that I successfully finished my first real 5k.  That was kind of a big deal for me!