First 5k is Done, Son!

I did my first 5k yesterday at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia and I. had. a. BLAST. I didn't expect to have that feeling at all and I'm now just oh... maybe a wee bit hooked.

Although I had just gotten to a little over 4 miles on my runs fairly comfortably, I was still terrified for the race. Consequently, race day started off with the one hour car ride (beautiful sun above, huh?) in which I had to stop twice to run into a restroom. I'll admit it. Super nervous and I had too much water and drank my coffee that morning. First note to self: Leave even earlier for the race when it's an hour away. The picture below clearly shows how nervous I am, right? But I loved the t-shirt I made for the race.

I got there and was already shakin' in my boots. So many people were there, ranging from parents with kids to one dog with his human, and then I am not kidding when I tell you that there were people who looked like they were once Olympic runners and were doing the race to while away the time. Unbelievably fit.

When the race started, I made sure to maintain the pace I've been comfortable at during my runs. It was a beautiful little course which took us by the river and through the trails through Colonial National State Park. And right away, I knew I needed to include more elevations into my training. Where I normally run, it's mostly flat roads, and Saturday's race had wonderful downhill sections that, of course, inevitably led to hills in which one in particular made me feel like my legs were sloshing through molasses. I made that second note to self to run more hills.

I wasn't sure if I was going to grab water at the station since I never had any during my runs. I changed my mind quickly when I saw the station because I was so hot running under that morning sun. My third note to self was to add a couple of runs during the day to get used to the sun and late summer mugginess.

When the course looped us back to the base, I started to get excited. I was almost done! As the finish line approached, I started to pick up even more speed and when one guy flew past me, I got mad! I didn't want anyone else to pass so I just started sprinting (relatively speaking, of course). I saw my husband on the side cheering me on (my husband is the most loving supporter in history) and when I saw and heard other finished runners standing on the sides encouraging everyone, yelling out bib numbers, including mine, I FELL IN LOVE. My heart was so FULL with happiness at that exact moment. I was surrounded by the coolest people on earth and I was finished, running the whole way without stopping once, no matter how tough the hills were for me.

And I was so excited I finished, I forgot to look at what my total time was. The app I was using, however, logs me at a 37:29 for the total time, but I know it was less since I started the app before the race began and then I had a wee bit of difficulty in pushing the buttons to stop the app when I was done. I am waiting for the race results to be posted and hopefully it will be much less than my app's time *fingers crossed* But I love the quote "Strive for progress, not perfection." That's right, my friends. That's all I want.

{Edited 8/13/12 to add: the Coast Guard race results clocked me at 36:45}

So I loved every second of it. And I want to get that feeling again. You know the one that makes your smile as big as the one below, and it looks wildly different than the one you start the day with.

But you know what was one of the coolest things? Meeting someone who said she motivated herself to keep running because she kept my shirt with "This Chick Will Run" in mind. Needless to say, that cool chick got me a little verklempt. I hope to meet up with her soon to run again!

I had an amazing time on Saturday. And yes. I will be signing up for the another 5k and there is one next month for the 9/11 Heroes run in Virginia Beach. Maybe I'll do a 5k each month for a little while until I can work myself up to the 10k and then the next longer race, and then the next, and then the next...

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