On New Year's Day my college friend, Kellye, and I participated in a 5K run/walk that was hosted by the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. We were somewhat excited about kicking off our New Year doing something active; however, that feeling quickly diminished as we headed to the Rec Center.
It was about 35 degrees out of doors and it had been raining. It was so cold, so wet, so disgusting. I was very tempted to say "Let's forget it and go eat breakfast at the Huddle House." But I couldn't allow myself to do that. As the old saying goes, "Whatever you do on NY Day is what you will do the rest of the year." I really couldn't imagine myself eating at the Huddle House everyday for the remainder of the year, so we went to the 5K.
We were dressed for the cold weather with our toboggans, ear warmers, and long sleeves. We were also decked out in rain gear. My Dearest assured me that his storm wear jacket would be perfect for this weather and it would keep me oh-so-dry. He lied. I forgave him. But the fact is that he lied.
Kellye and I headed to the registration table to pick up our numbers. We chatted with a few friends, then we proceeded to stand outside under a covered walk, questioning why we agreed to do such a horrible thing on such a rainy day.
Needless to say, race time came and we began our trip. Since the weather had been so bad (snow and rain) they had to revamp the route, which meant we would have to make two loops around the backside of the local university. Due to the revamp, the total distance was 3.3 miles instead of 3.1 miles.
I will clarify now, this race was a Run/Walk. Meaning, I jogged when I could and walked when I couldn't. I pushed myself to go beyond the pain I was feeling when I was jogging. I know I wasn't jogging fast, that's not the point. The point is I was there and I was doing it. That is all that matters. I believe I jogged at least 50% of the race and walked the other 50%.
My goal going into the race was to beat my time from the last 5K I participated. That time was 46:22 minutes at the Smoky Streak in October 2009. I knew that when Kellye and I made the first loop that it was going to be a real stretch for me to beat my time. At the halfway point we were already at 24 minutes and I could tell I was draining fast. What am I saying??? I was drained a long time before that, I was moving only because I couldn't allow myself to quit. I was NOT going to lose face! I was going to do it.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that I loved every moment of the race. I hated every moment of it. I am out of shape, so overexertion and over exhaustion was an understatement. It was cold. It was raining. My core was roasting under all my clothes. I had blisters forming on my wet, squishy feet due to drenched tennis shoes. I couldn't see because of the water that was dripping off of my toboggan into my eyes. It sucked, all 52:11 minutes of it.
As you can see, I didn't beat my time from the Smoky Streak. But when I began looking at all the factors, I felt I had done just fine.
* I was approx 10 lbs lighter at the Smoky Streak.
* Although I wasn't too active at the time, I had been a LOT more active at the time of the Smoky Streak. Actually, the Smoky Streak was probably the last time I was that active until this current race.
* It was cold and rainy.
I only missed my goal by 5:49 minutes. I was more than satisfied with that time. I will continue to participate in 5Ks and I will try to beat my time from the previous race each time.
By the time that the run was over with, I didn't have a dry stitch of clothing on me. I was a disgusting combination of sweat and rain. Kellye looked just as bad as I did and we both felt as if we couldn't walk another step. We were absolutely frozen and exhausted.
We went home, took hot showers, dressed, ate some lunch then crashed on the couch taking a 2 hour nap. It was a grand feeling. Until we stood up and all of our leg muscles almost collapsed underneath the pressure. We continued to hobble around the rest of the day and into the following day.
In the end, it was all OK. It was all worth it. Because we did it, we finished.
(As soon as I can figure out how to get the photos from my ipod to my computer I shall share our pitiful looking photos with you. Until the, I shall leave it to your imagination.)
We were dressed for the cold weather with our toboggans, ear warmers, and long sleeves. We were also decked out in rain gear. My Dearest assured me that his storm wear jacket would be perfect for this weather and it would keep me oh-so-dry. He lied. I forgave him. But the fact is that he lied.
Kellye and I headed to the registration table to pick up our numbers. We chatted with a few friends, then we proceeded to stand outside under a covered walk, questioning why we agreed to do such a horrible thing on such a rainy day.
Needless to say, race time came and we began our trip. Since the weather had been so bad (snow and rain) they had to revamp the route, which meant we would have to make two loops around the backside of the local university. Due to the revamp, the total distance was 3.3 miles instead of 3.1 miles.
I will clarify now, this race was a Run/Walk. Meaning, I jogged when I could and walked when I couldn't. I pushed myself to go beyond the pain I was feeling when I was jogging. I know I wasn't jogging fast, that's not the point. The point is I was there and I was doing it. That is all that matters. I believe I jogged at least 50% of the race and walked the other 50%.
My goal going into the race was to beat my time from the last 5K I participated. That time was 46:22 minutes at the Smoky Streak in October 2009. I knew that when Kellye and I made the first loop that it was going to be a real stretch for me to beat my time. At the halfway point we were already at 24 minutes and I could tell I was draining fast. What am I saying??? I was drained a long time before that, I was moving only because I couldn't allow myself to quit. I was NOT going to lose face! I was going to do it.
I'm not going to lie to you and say that I loved every moment of the race. I hated every moment of it. I am out of shape, so overexertion and over exhaustion was an understatement. It was cold. It was raining. My core was roasting under all my clothes. I had blisters forming on my wet, squishy feet due to drenched tennis shoes. I couldn't see because of the water that was dripping off of my toboggan into my eyes. It sucked, all 52:11 minutes of it.
As you can see, I didn't beat my time from the Smoky Streak. But when I began looking at all the factors, I felt I had done just fine.
* I was approx 10 lbs lighter at the Smoky Streak.
* Although I wasn't too active at the time, I had been a LOT more active at the time of the Smoky Streak. Actually, the Smoky Streak was probably the last time I was that active until this current race.
* It was cold and rainy.
I only missed my goal by 5:49 minutes. I was more than satisfied with that time. I will continue to participate in 5Ks and I will try to beat my time from the previous race each time.
By the time that the run was over with, I didn't have a dry stitch of clothing on me. I was a disgusting combination of sweat and rain. Kellye looked just as bad as I did and we both felt as if we couldn't walk another step. We were absolutely frozen and exhausted.
We went home, took hot showers, dressed, ate some lunch then crashed on the couch taking a 2 hour nap. It was a grand feeling. Until we stood up and all of our leg muscles almost collapsed underneath the pressure. We continued to hobble around the rest of the day and into the following day.
In the end, it was all OK. It was all worth it. Because we did it, we finished.
(As soon as I can figure out how to get the photos from my ipod to my computer I shall share our pitiful looking photos with you. Until the, I shall leave it to your imagination.)
LOL,,,, Sorry to laugh but it's funny to hear how bad it was but how you still felt great about it! I can't wait to run / walk / jog a race. I have never done it and really don't even know how to get started. I love ya girl and look forward to pics! maybe we should do a race together. Give me about 40 more pounds and I there!
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