5K Recap

This past Saturday I ran my first 5K. I woke up on Saturday morning and thought what in the world did I decide to do!  Too late it was game day and I needed to get my game face on!

I had 2 goals for the race

1. Run the entire race

2. Run the race in 35 minutes

On the way there Art told me he wanted me to run the 5K in 28 minutes. I told him to make his own goals and let me make mine. My goal was 35 minutes. 

In the back of my mind I really wanted to run the race in 30 minutes. Art and I did this same charity walk 3 years ago. I hardly could do the walk. After the first mile Art says my wind just was let out of my sail when I realized we had only gone one mile and we had 2 more to go. I thought I was going to die that day.  I finished the 5K walk 3 years ago in 59 minutes. I wanted to cut that time in half. 

Pinning my bib on prior to the race

36 minutes until race time!

Getting warmed up! Look at those girls socks! Aren't they fun!

That is a man beside me in the pink....I thought it was a woman. lol

Getting ready! I had my hip hop music blaring!

I told Art I would see him in 35 minutes. 

Next year I want to be the guy on the bike. lol

The horn sounded and we took off. Holy cow it was time to run!  The first 5 minutes of the run was very emotional. First I was running a real 5K. I was actually doing it!  Second I was going to cross that finish line 90 pounds lighter than I did 3 years ago. Part of feeling successful in my weight loss journey was to run a 5K. It was just something I had to do to prove to myself all I had accomplished. I had to take some deep breaths to get myself under control to focus on the run. 

As I was running I came up on all these people walking. I looked at my watch and we had only been running 1 minute and 50 seconds.....yet here were all these people walking. I had to laugh to myself. I told myself then I couldn't take a break until I had ran 15 minutes. It made me feel good because some of these people were a lot smaller than me. I had trained for 7 weeks very hard to get my endurance up. 

I focused on a couple in front of me. They were keeping a steady pace and I just kept my eye on them. I had some peppy music on and that kept me going. I was starting to feel tired and my throat was SUPER dry. I was REALLY hoping they would have water at mile 1. I told myself when I got to mile 1 I could walk for a little bit. I arrived at mile 1 and grabbed a bottle of water, took a couple sips and continued running. The water bottle was making me crazy, sloshing around in my hand, so I ditched it at the nearest trash can. I told myself if I threw the water out I couldn't get more water until the end. 

The woman of the couple I had been trailing stopped running at mile 1. Oh man who was I going to keep pace with. Right then a chick started running beside me. I thought she was going to pass me. Instead she ran near me the rest of the race. I don't know who she was, but she kept me going. I kept thinking if she stops then I can walk, but if she keeps going I have to keep going. 

Up ahead I could see this hill that I haven't ever been able to run up previously. I had practice on the course 4 times prior to race day. Ugh I was nervous I wasn't going to be able to get up that hill. I ran up half way. Then I walked about 30 seconds. I could see the girl getting ahead of me, so I had to take off and I finished running up the hill. I passed mile 2.  I just wanted to get to the pavement and run. I felt it might be easier to finish the run on pavement. That girl was just a little ahead of me and I had to catch her. 

I looked at my watch and I had been running for 27 minutes. HOLY COW! I was almost at mile 3. I knew if I picked up speed I could finish the race in 30 minutes. The goal I had in the back of my mind was actually do able. I picked up speed and started to catch that girl in the blue shirt. I had to finish this in 30 minutes. 

As I was nearing the finish line I kept looking for Art. My eyes were darting all over...where is he?  He isn't going to be ready with the camera. He has no idea I am almost there...oh great what if he isn't even near by to see me finish. I started to feel sick to my stomach at this point. I thought oh crap I am going to throw up! I just kept going. 29 minutes & 30 seconds. I took off and ran as hard as I could. I remember hearing my watch beep and looked at it. My heart rate was around 171. Then I saw Art. He was standing near the finish line. He saw me and started fumbling with the camera trying to turn it on. I kept thinking oh great he isn't going to get my picture as I cross the finish line. Then I saw the time at 34:15. I was irritated...how could it be 34:15 when my watch said 29:50. Well the 10K people took off first and that was their time. 

I was so worried about getting my pink ribbon. I should have been running to the side because I started to dry heave. I grabbed my ribbon and I ran to the side to throw up. Ugh! I got all the way to the end and I threw up. I had drank a small little bit of lemonade earlier on an empty stomach...MISTAKE. 

At this point I still didn't know what my time was. I had stopped my watch around 31 minutes, but that was after throwing up. Then I spotted the blue screen with the times. I ran over there and waited for my name to come up. They were putting the times up in bib # order. #78, #79, #82,  #87...#88 Becky Post 30:06

I fist pumped in the air! I had done it in 30 minutes!!!! I was sooooo excited. If I had enough strength at that point I would have jumped up and down. 

Crossing that finish line was the best feeling in the entire world!!!  I didn't care if anyone else was proud of me....I felt the proudest of myself! I had accomplished what I set out to accomplish!