I have now completed 4 races. I haven't won anything, I finished dead last in 3 of them but I finished them.
I ran a 5km three weeks after I started running. I must have been crazy. I had only just started running 2 minutes/walking 1 minute. I felt so terrible to see everyone pass me and to have the 10km racers lap me. I saw another lady who was a large as I was and thought "I'll be able to keep up with her"......um not so much. She had obviously been running a lot longer than I had. I kept my pace, tried not to let the snow and rocky terrain freak me out but I quickly realized that my biggest challenge was going to be my head. I had to "get out of my own way" as my mom always says. I got my drink of water at the turn around point (loop course) and started running again. There is one point in the trail where you come out of the trees and into the open. There was a lovely lady standing there ringing a cow bell and cheering her lungs out. I refused to stop and walk in front of her. (I met this amazing fellow runner months later and was able to thank her for her encouragement) After passing Andy, I just kept running. I ran the last 2km of the race straight. It actually was easier to just keep running. The thought of stopping to walk terrified me, I was afraid I'd never start again. As I rounded the last corner there was my running coach and one of the other Yummy Mommies waiting to run the last bit with me. I felt amazing, exhausted, wobbly kneed and spent, but absolutely friggin fantastic. I was the last 5km runner to cross the line but I had finished in 50:49.
My next race was an 8km run in May. Again I was the very last person across the line, but I discovered they don't start the dinner until the last runner is in :-) My fellow Mommies came out to run the last bit in with me. It was amazing.
My biggest race so far was a 10km at the Johnny Miles Marathon. It was a terrible race, the weather alternated between hot and muggy and pouring buckets of rain. I didn't run it as well as I wanted to but I was shocked and amazed to discover that I had beaten my own estimate of my finish time by 8 minutes!!! I had run what I thought was 10km 2 weeks before (turned out it was closer to 11...ooops) in 1:49. I figured a good finish time would be 1:45. I actually completed the run in 1:37. It felt so good to achieve that goal. Well not just achieve it but blow it out of the water!!!
My most recent race was Sunday when I "Ran for the Lobsters". I did the 5km this time with one of the other members of our group with me as a ghost runner and pace setter. I achieved a personal best of 43:34. It was a far cry from my first run 7 months ago.
My next goal is another 10km in October and I'm looking to get my time down to 1:25. Definitely doable!!
