I completed my first 5K in 5 years this morning! Yah! Woo Hoo! I finished in 31 minutes and 59 seconds. That is 2 minutes and 1 second faster than I was hoping for. The energy of the run (the race environment generally) made the difference and helped me achieve the better time.
Last night was rough. We were at an anniversary party for one of my wife's cousins and not only did dinner not get served until around 9:45pm (it was a work night for goodness sake!), but the food was all very spicy, greasy and starchy. I made it out of the party without partaking of the greasy offerings (I ate a bunch of salad with some grilled chicken - which was very spicy) but I didn't get to sleep until about 12:45am.
The race start time was 8am (note to self - pick up the race materials before the morning of the race from now on) and I woke up at 6am. I drank a cup of black coffee and ate a banana. I took a hot shower and got dressed. Next, I gathered up my iPod, wallet, watch and hat and headed out.
My plan was to run my own race and not get sucked into the pace of others. As the race began though that is the first thing I struggled with. It seemed like everyone was moving head of me right away. I had to focus hard on my pace and continually reminded myself to concentrate on my own form.
I hit the 1 mile mark and started to feel better about the run. Up until then I was very nervous about how my legs and lungs were going to hold up. I finished the first mile in 10 minutes and 29 seconds. That's about as fast as I've run as of late. Just about then we hit our first hill and I reminded myself to shorten my strides while increasing the frequency. That really helped me get up the hill.
By the turn around point I was still feeling good. My feet and legs were feeling good and my breathing was steady. As much as I didn't want to compare myself with other runs, I began noticing that people had slowed down. Some were walking. I kept running. I started to pass a few people.
We came up to another hill and I again shortened my stride while increasing its frequency and this time I started passing more people. At the next turn we crossed the 2 mile marker - 1.1 miles to go. At this juncture my legs felt good - no aches, pains, strains. One foot in front of the other I kept telling myself.
As we made the final turn there was a sign written in chalk on the road "Home Stretch". That was great. As simple as it was, it gave me a little added energy. I picked up the pace. I passed up a big guy wearing a Chicago Fire Department t-shirt. Then he passed me and despite my plan to stay focused, I began racing with him.
I evened up to him and we were run stride for stride. He was about my size. In my own mind I know I looked like a gazelle in the plains. I also know that those watching saw reality - two lumbering Clydesdales pounding the pavement!
About 150 yards away a run who had finished ran back and cheered us on. You're almost there she cheered. That was the boost I needed and I lengthened my stride and started running harder. It was not a sprint by even my own standards. It was a strong, fast pace that I couldn't have (yet) sustained for much longer than the needed 150 yards.
I crossed the finish line and the first thing I thought of was the Y Me Race for the Cure in October 2005. That race was run in downtown Chicago and it was the last 5K I had run before today. I turned in 31 minute time for that run but I know I was hurting a lot more then than I was today.
As winded as I was as I crossed the finish line, I was back to a normal breathing pattern just a few minutes later. My legs felt great too. Thank you God!
I felt awesome at that point. I finished, I didn't hurt myself and I know I have the legs to do it again in a few weeks! But then the icing on the cake was when I learned my time - 31:59! Yes!
I walked around for a few minutes, soaked up the atmosphere and then headed to my car. I felt good, it was only 8:50am and I needed to capitalize on my adrenaline, so I headed to the gym for a 1 hour weight lifting session!
I'm at about 219 lbs today. When I started this blog in the beginning of February (which is when I started working out and eating better too) I weighed 245 to 250 lbs! I've lost about 25 lbs in 14 weeks. That's well within the safe weight loss range and I know its healthy because I don't count my calories, just the quality, quantity and timing of my meals.
