(This about sums up our relationship...this is just a few minutes into the race when we realized we ALL needed to use the restroom! Thankfully there were porta potties!)
Hello friends!
Today was a pretty monumental day in the life of Rachel (that's me.) I participated in my very first 8k...actually my very first official run of any kind!
My trainer basically conned me into it...which of course is why I love her and why I pay her the big bucks. She never fails to push me to my limits and beyond and for that I am so thankful! She had mentioned doing this run a while back and quite honestly I was NOT ready to commit. Something about these "races" terrifies me...actually A LOT of things!
Of course she had been training me for this all along. She started me at two miles and this past week I was up to three miles twice a week and six miles on Friday. Believe me when I say I NEVER believed in a million years that I would be running about 10 miles a week...NEVER. So it's not that I didn't think it was physically possible to accomplish this, I was just SO nervous for it.
This idea of a huge crowd of people running around me and the fact that I do most of my training inside where there are bathrooms and televisions and air conditioning...realizing how different this would be just made me sick to my stomach. Also knowing it was an 8k which is close to the max that I have run made me even more uneasy!
But alas she convinced me and I signed up just two days before the race. I got a little discount off of my membership and a free t-shirt out of the deal (a medium I might add which is a huge deal for the girl who has never in her life worn a medium anything!)
Yesterday I tried my best to make healthy choices and to get myself to bed early with everything ready for the morning. Cut a V in my crew neck gym t-shirt, filled my water bottle and refrigerated it and piled all of my clothes in the bathroom. Took me a while to stop fretting about it and actually fall asleep!
Woke up bright and early, had myself a yummy-full of protein breakfast and caught a ride to the race with my sweet trainer. She did a great job pep talking me and encouraging me as usual and by the time we got there I thought maybe I could do this. Then we met up with everyone else running on our team of sorts and my confidence faded again...As she asked everyone what their personal goals were for the race and I heard 8 and 9 minute miles....I chuckled to myself realizing that the ONLY goal I had set was to cross the finish line!
Turns out there were 6,500 plus people running this race! Also I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was in support of Diabetes which my mom has had for years! It took forever just to get that many people onto the street to start running! The premise of the race and the point of the name is that you want to cross the bridge before they put it up 20 minutes into the race. This means you need to get your first two miles finished in that 20 minutes.
People...my personal best are just under 12 minute miles...and that's on a good day! But I don't know...what they say about races is SO true it turns out! The adrenaline kicks in and you just feed off the energy of the sea of people running all around you!
We EASILY beat the bridge and kept up that pace for a good long while. Precious and loyal Heidi (though she could have killed this time) ran right along side me and encouraged me the whole while. We finished the whole 4.9 mile race (including potty and water break) in just 50 minutes which means I ran an average of 10:30 miles....a crazy record for me! It included a classic sprint to the finish and I seriously had chills as I crossed that finishing tape!
We were welcomed by lots of cheering and yummy treats and free surprises at the end but the best part was the amazing feeling I walked away with! I accomplished something I never thought I could and I overcame a fear today. I cannot wait to participate in more runs and to continue living a healthy, active life!
Group photo! Representing Anytime Fitness in Capitol Hill :)
Of course Heidi snapped a photo WHILE we were running...because she's a beast like that!
About to start the race...waiting for the thousands of people in front of us to go!
FINISHED! Not only did I have the joy and pride of crossing that finish line, I did it much faster than I ever imagined I could! SO thankful for this lady pushing me all the way :)
If you haven't tried one of these, you really should. It's pretty exhilerating and so rewarding...and really people, if I can do it, ANYONE can!
Rachel, I had no idea it was your first race! Congratulations (and I'm really sorry if I was being intimidating - I would hate myself if I'd done that to you)!!! I hope you'll be ready for another one soon!
ReplyDeleteAnd, lemme know if you need a running buddy - it was WAY too nice now to be stuck inside on a treadmill, even one as lovely as our gym's!
Joyce!
ReplyDeleteHaha it was by no means YOU haha I was actually totally stunned that you guys could run it that quickly! If anything it made me want to do better! I think the whole thing in general was just a bit overwhelming! Yes, it was my very first and I hope first of many! I had SO much fun! It really was as exhilarating as people say! You will have to keep me posted on runs around here because I would love to join you! ANd yes...each week Heidi ups my running it gets harder to stay on that treadmill...I am thinking of trying my first longer distance run outside tomorrow actually!