5K Linkup - April 23, 2013

 

Hello lovelies!!  It's time for the 5K Challenge Linkup with Katie and Kim!  I'd like to thank them both for encouraging all of us to do this little thing because it has honestly changed me so much.

 

Well, it's official:  yesterday, I registered for my race - AHHHH!!  Sh*% just got real.  I think I was actually the first person to register; I guess I'm THAT excited to do this.  Even though every time I think about it, my tummy does a little lurch.

 

I also have another accomplishment from training this past week.  On Friday, I ran 3.8 miles in 48 minutes!  I really don't care about my time at this point because my goal is really just to run the whole thing so having two of my own 5K's under my belt is really beginning to boost my confidence.

 

When I started off on Friday, I just gave myself permission to do whatever I felt like doing.  In other words, didn't go with the mindset that I was going to run 1 mile, 2 miles or 3 miles; I was just going to run.  So that's what I did.  One of the things I've learned about myself during my training is that I am a morning runner.  I have tried numerous times to get some distance in an after work run and I just haven't been able to do it.  At about 1 mile, I just peter out.  So, it was a beautiful morning, kind of cool so I just went out.  I did a quick warm up of about .3 miles and then started running in my neighborhood with no real plan about where to go.  I have a lot of hills in my 'hood so I sort of tried to avoid those, but when it was inevitable, I just took them...sloooowlllyy.  My phone gives me updates at every half mile and I was a little surprised that it said that I was averaging 4 mph because that used to be my fast run; I thought that was kind of cool.  

 

I do have to admit, though, that at about mile 1.5, my little RunKeeper chick came on to tell me how far I'd gone and I thought to myself..."This succcckkkksss..."  I couldn't believe that I had been running for 17 minutes or so and I still had halfway to go.  I wasn't in pain, nor did I feel like I needed to stop so the only thing I had to keep doing was to keep running.  And that just made it suck more.  I guess what I'm trying to say is that in that moment, I honest to goodness just thought, "How in the HELL do people run a marathon or even a half marathon??  It takes for - e - ver!"  But, I sucked it up and stomped that whiny puss down and just kept on going...and I did it, I ran past my 5K mark and by that time, I wasn't at my house, so I just kept on running 'til I got home.  And when I looked at my phone and saw that it was 3.8 miles, I literally laughed out loud.  I mean, how in the heck does a chubby chick like me run 3.8 miles without dying?  Well, I've lived to tell about it so it can be done.

 

When I was done, I felt amazing.  I burst into my house and yelled to my dear Hubs:  "THREE POINT EIGHT, BABY!"  What I'm about to describe to you became my A-HA moment of the week.  I felt as good about that run as I do when I see a loss on my scale.  Honest to goodness feeling of euphoria.

 

YES, it was that good.  And that is why I made a huge decision (for me, because I'm addicted) about the scale that day which I will expound upon on Non-Scale Victory Thursday...so check back!