Realizations

My most recent running experience was the Rockville 10K/5K. I participated in the 5K portion, which was grueling enough. It was an eye opening day for me, and it didn't take long for me to make some pretty big realizations. This was my fourth timed race and the largest I've participated in. As a person that doesn't enjoy crowds, the start was hard for me. I huddled on the right edge of the road to steer as clear of the mob at the gun as possible, but I was still knocked into pretty hard once and bumped on another occasion...not my fave! Once I reached the one mile marker it all seemed to calm down and people settled into their pace group. Phew! The only issue was that the first mile nearly took it all out of me. It was cold - really cold. My hands were burning and hurt to open up. There was a pre-race warm-up, but that was about 20 minutes before the start of the 5K. By the time I took off, my muscles were tight again. That, and the first mile included a very slow and steady incline that never seemed to end. I know all miles are literally the same length, but this one felt like it was at least 100. At 1.2 miles into the race I noticed that I was closer to where I'd parked my car than the end of the course, and I truly considered giving up and going home. Fortunately, though, the fighter in me wouldn't give up, and I pushed through the next hill, and the next hill, until I was on flat surface kicking it to the finish line. When I made it, I sat down to take the timing chip off my shoe and contemplated throwing up. Thankfully, that feeling passed...phew!...but a few thoughts and feelings stuck with me. And they were: 1. I am not a natural born runner. This is HARD work for me! This distance of 3.1 miles is still a challenge, and while I will keep working on it, I think this is where I am meant to be as a runner. In no way does this upset me. Some people never run a mile, much less complete a race. I'm simply proud that I show up and finish each and every 5K for which I register. I may never place against the other runners, but I am always winning the biggest battle, which is with myself. And I don't quit! 2. I am in complete and utter awe of those who are natural born runners. When I was nearing the finish, I was thinking, how are people running 6.2 miles today, much less running 15Ks, 10 milers, half marathons, marathons, and so on. Long distance runners are (a little crazy) to be admired. Seriously, I tip my hat to you - BRAVO! 3. I am going to encourage my daughters to participate in athletics throughout life, so that maybe they won't have as hard time being fit as an adult as me. Norah already loves running and push ups and sit ups and jumping jacks, which are also fun to watch her do. My job is to continue to be a model for her and allow her as many opportunities to exercise as possible. The same will go for Lillian once she gets beyond the "drunken toddler walk". I'm actually excited to see what they choose for themselves and what we'll be able to do as a family. There were many parent/child teams doing the race alongside me, and I found it inspiring and heartwarming. I hope to have that kind of experience with my girls one day. My official time was 35:58, :49 seconds behind my personal best. That said, I think this was my greatest effort. I had more obstacles to overcome to finish, and I did so with gusto. For having not trained well, running in colder weather than I've ever run, battling constant low grade inclines, and warding off tons of nutty runners on the course, I did the best I could do. Noone can ask more from themselves than that. I don't have any more races scheduled, so for now, there's boot camp and pull ups. Fitness isn't just the ability to run long distance, I also need to continue to work on my strength. Look for details on that very soon. Until then, don't give up! You may not be a natural born runner, but you are naturally YOU - and noone else in the world is that! Celebrate! :)