5K Race Day, Part One

So! I ran my first 5K on Saturday.

THERE'S a sentence I never thought I'd say.

Even more amazing? I absolutely loved it.

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In the days leading up to the race, I was hella nervous because my training could only be described as spotty at best. The couch-to-5K program I started in mid-August had me running just three days a week, and the first two were okay, encouraging, even, because the intervals were manageable and I was fueled with enthusiasm. But the third week was more challenging, directing me to finish a 20-minute run on day three, and the idea of failing was so intimidating that the entire seven days passed without me completing a single run. It was a turning point, I think, giving me an opportunity to re-examine my commitment; how serious was I about adding this 5K to my list of accomplishments for the year? Was I willing to write the whole thing off as another botched attempt at healthy living? Was I okay with publicly falling flat on my face and looking and feeling like a failure?  

As it turned out, I wasn't. So I gave myself a second try. In hindsight, I am so proud of myself for doing that; for not giving up, for investing myself in this training and identifying it as something worth fighting for, even when I had a long day at work, even when I would have preferred rolling around on the floor with my kids. I wanted it for my health, but I needed it for my own sanity.

That doesn't mean I was perfect. Aside from the first two weeks, I never followed the program to the letter again. But I was running. The first few minutes were always the hardest--my breathing was random, my ankles felt like weights--but then my feet made their peace with the concrete of the trail, and my mind settled down, became quiet, reducing the chatter of the voices in my head, and my eyes functioned as catapults, physically moving me closer to each short-term landmark (If I can just make it to the overpass.... If I can just make it to the bridge...), and I called on the breathing exercises I used when in labor with Kara, marveling at their usefulness in situations outside of childbirth (hee hee hoo...hee hee hoo...) and suddenly I was light as a feather, gliding over the pavement, and sharing Knowing Glances with other runners who passed me by. Ah, another fellow bad-ass. Top of the morning to you.

Most of the time I didn't give much thought to my speed, choosing instead to focus on running for the full seventeen minutes or whatever my goal was for that run, but the closer I came to race day, the more curious I was about my ability to finish in a respectable amount of time. From my reading I knew that the usual goal of a 5K was to average ten minutes a mile, so one Saturday morning I started my run precisely at the 3.0 mile marker of the trail, ran straight to the 4.0 and then turned around and ran back to the 3.5, keeping a watchful eye on my cell phone the entire time. The good news: I completed a mile-and-a-half run in 15 minutes. Hurrah, progress!

The bad news: I had to quit running at minute 18--two minutes short of my goal time--because I felt like I was going to die. That morning was the first that I walked home with a stitch in my side. My timing was good, but clearly I had overdone it. Plus, it was one of my first runs using an iPod, and I learned very quickly that the Black-Eyed Peas and Justin Timberlake were no good to me, at least during training. The songs were too peppy, and being a novice runner, I needed something calmer, music that would drive me forward but allow me to concentrate at the same time.

Speaking of time, my time was running out. The following week I stayed on task and ran two miles in just over twenty-four minutes, but it was a far cry from completing a 5K. Beginning of week five I pulled something in my thigh (not a training injury, but it threw a wrench in my schedule just the same), and between traveling to Orlando for work and playing catch-up at home, a whopping ten days passed before I hit the trail again, just four days before the big event.

Hella nervous.

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The night before the race, my preparation left much to be desired. I filled up on turtle cheesecake and Raisinets and bad episodes of All My Children and neglected to drink even a single ounce of water, staying up until two in the morning attempting to create a musical soundtrack destined to propel me to victory. I obsessed over that playlist way more than I should have, I know, but most of the songs I used during training were pretty tame--anything faster than Indigo Girls or Grover Washington and I couldn't pace my breathing--and I was convinced that come race day, I'd need something stronger.

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The next morning, I woke up to my alarm at 6:15 a.m. and promptly got to work. I threw on my clothes and enjoyed a breakfast of a spoonful of peanut butter and a bottle of water. I stretched on and off for a good forty minutes, Kara smiling at me during my jumping jacks, Nathan sucking on my knee while I touched my toes. I spouted off directions to the race location to Luke, who hoped to make it with the kids just in time to see me off. With a filled-up gas tank and four dollars for parking, I was ready to go.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, this was more than a 5K--it was a full-fledged corporate challenge involving 100 businesses in central Indiana--so the starting area was congested with traffic and Hoosier employees preparing for their respective events. I spent ten minutes waiting for a spot in a nearby parking garage and holding back a unrelenting urge to pee the entire time. I made it to my company's tent with fifteen minutes to spare, long enough to pin my bib onto my shirt, attach a tracking chip to my shoelaces, relieve my poor, overworked bladder, and find a place in the starting line, all the way in the back. I was grateful to have stretched so much at home because I was too self-conscious to do more than hop around and pull on my legs. My CEO tapped me on the shoulder to say hi, and I nearly jumped out of my skin. Have I mentioned how nervous I was?

We all made small talk for a few minutes until I excused myself to get closer to the middle of the pack. Before I was worried about getting trampled on by the pros. Now I'm just afraid of being left behind.

I checked my cell phone. One minute to starting time. Suddenly, we're counting down the seconds, from fifteen to one.

I take a deep breath. My right index finger is hovering over the play button on my iPod, waiting to sync my shuffle with the exact beginning of the race.

Three...two...one.

And we're off.

Comments

[daddyd]

Good Job. It does get easier as time goes on. The thing is that the oxygen up take gets better faster than the bio-mechanical part. One should not over do the mechanical parts of the body in the developmental process of training. Build a solid base of distance before doing any speed work. Again, Good Job.

[Bill]

I love that adrenaline rush before a race. I've only done the 2 (a 5K and a 10K), and it really is amazing.

Although it does make me need to pee about 100 times beforehand. *sigh*

I can't wait to read how you did!

[eva]

Go Bree! Races are sooo exciting and addictive - that feeling afterwards, when you're hanging out snacking with all these healthy people is just awesome. I'm so happy for you!!

[Molly]

Ooh I like how you're writing this! I can't wait to read the rest. What a spectacular thing that you've taken on!

[Parsing Nonsense]

Lots of fun to read this! Can't wait for the next installment!

[Jen L.]

Congrats! Ooh, this is full of suspense! Can't wait to read the rest of the story!

[liz]

Please tell me you'll be sharing the playlist. I'm about to run my first 5K in just one week!

[Jana]

I just ran my first 5K in June. Now I'm training for the St. Jude Half Marathon here in Memphis. A freakin' half marathon. I couldn't be more pumped! Keep it up!

[massageon]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I just ran my first 5k (pushing my son in his stroller) last weekend, and it was SO exhilarating! My parent's sent me flowers, and it felt so good to accomplish something : ) GOOD JOB!!!

[Trina]

Good for you kiddo, I'm so proud!!!

[debi]

This reminds me of TLF. Oh how I loved those. You write and somehow take us all along with you. I can't wait for the next installment.