As a youngster, I was not athletic. I was overweight and pretty stationary. I was always walking the entire mile we were to run in junior high gym class.
I was in band, but chose to do colorguard for marching band, and had to have my uniform made, as none of the school's supply was large enough.
As I sat in my sophomore biology class, my teacher leaned over to ask if I would be available for the track season...as a manager/stat taker. I did that for two years, gaining my athletic letter for it.
The most hilarious story of my high school life was graduating with TWO athletic letters, as I also joined the tennis team my senior year 'because there's no running involved in warm-ups or practice.'
I like the idea of running: put on your shoes and step outside and 'boom' you're working out!
There was a moment in my life when I got fit. I bought a workout system a friend of mine had recommended and I fell in love. I worked out 6 days a week and dropped 3 sizes. Got down to my lowest weight since, like, 6th grade! I felt great!
I guess that's when I thought...if there was a time for you to try running, now's the time!
I kept seeing this C25K running system and bought some good running shoes.
The program is 28 days long: running 3 days a week. My start date worked out to end the program about a week before one of the local annual charity 5Ks...so I signed up with my fitness friend.
I ran the whole thing. Slowly, but never giving up.
That was in September. The next race was in October, the Police Halloween Hustle.
Shaved a few seconds of my previous run.
Then in November, there was the run that takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving, in honor of a local girl and raises money for a number of local charities benefiting the health and well-being of Mid-Cape children. Again, I shaved a few seconds off my last best time.
I had a used treadmill and kept up my running over the winter and summer (I don't like running in the heat...it doesn't agree with me). I ran the Halloween and Thanksgiving runs, again...still improving my time, each time, by just a few seconds.
Then my treadmill broke. I joined roller derby, where I lead more practices than I actually skated in...and all my weight, plus some, came back.
But I decided to give running another go. And started C25K program again. I heard about 'virtual' races and ran a couple of those...still getting a tiny bit faster each time.
But then I stopped running again. I couldn't get out to run. I couldn't make it to the gym (the gym included with my health insurance finally moved into town!) to run. I just stopped working out.
Fast forward 7 or so months. I've not run at all. I've pretty much stopped doing cardio in any form. So I decided to run the Andrea Holden. Last year I signed up, picked up my number, and bailed on race day.
This year, I made the decision and signed up on the last day of online registration...2 days before the race.
My goal: show up.
Secondarily: start off running, even if I ended by walking.
I accomplished my first goal. And my secondary goal. My time was 2 full minutes slower than my very first run. But I had to stop to walk part of this one. This was the first race I've had to stop running. All in all, I probably walked about a half mile overall...maybe 3/4 mile. The races I do are pretty much the same course and just after the first mile there is a major hill. Lots of people walk it. I made myself run up that hill. I pushed myself back down the hill and around the corner and about a half mile past the one mile marker.
But my lungs were not happy. I had to walk.
And by 'walk' I mean 'speed walk'...not some slow stroll. I had hopes of getting back into a run, so I didn't want to slow down too much.
I did run again. And I pushed my lungs hard.
After a series of running, and a little walking, I decided that even a slow jog was better...my shins did not like the fast walks.
I knew when I was close to the finish (it was a loop) and I just kept jogging...saving at least a little something for the finish.
But all I could do when I saw that finish line was keep moving forward. I think I sped up a little...lifting my feet a bit higher...trying my best to not trip.
I had forgotten to pull my hair back under my hat, so once it got to hot for the hat, my hair had a mind of it's own...and it was just a mess in my face.
I ran over that finish line and jogged up to the hill and just did what I could to keep my legs moving as I tracked down Hubby.
He was there to see my cross the finish line, but I had no energy to try to find him.
I could barely breath. I felt as though my legs might buckle underneath me.
We still had to walk down the muddy path through the woods to get to the parking lot.
I was dying. This was the worst I had ever felt after a run...it was just a 5K! I felt like I had just run the Boston Marathon, yet I had only gone over 3 miles...and I hadn't even run the whole thing.
I was sad. I was hurting. I was miserable.
I cracked jokes that I had died and I was just a ghost. I cheered people on as we passed them on our way to the car and they were headed to the finish line. I reminded myself that it was for charity. I had not run for months. I had accomplished what I set out to do for the day: show up and run as much as I could.
So we got back to the car and I threw a pair of jeans on over my running pants...
and we hit a couple local stores to do some shopping.
I did a quick yoga workout to stretch a little more...
and fell asleep by 6 pm. Work at 5 the next morning, you know!
Today sucked. My torso muscles are sore. My hips are achy. My friends are proud. I am a little proud, despite feeling it was probably a bad idea. I walked for 24 hours/ 36 miles this past June for Relay for Life Cancer fundraiser...I was not in this much pain the next day!
But what I learned is this:
I may not be a runner, but I still like the feeling I get when I cross that finish line. Even if it takes me 39 minutes to run 3.2 miles.
Despite what my face may say!
