I ran in my first 5K on Saturday. The Journey for Jenna 5K Run/Walk was held in Danville, Virginia at Angler’s Park to benefit Jenna, the nurse at my workplace, who is battling breast cancer.
I signed up for this run at the last minute. I’ve been training for what I thought would be my first 5K coming up in August. I heard about this run, knew it was for an awesome cause for someone I know, and looked at it as just another workout day. My plan was to continue my regular workout, walking for two minutes and then running for two. No pressure. I filled out the entry online and paid my fee. I didn’t really think any more about it until Saturday morning.
Saturday morning came and I got dressed and made my way to Angler’s Park. I picked up my package and attached my first bib to my tee shirt. It was chilly out, but not terrible. I knew that I would warm up fairly soon. More and more people began to show up to support Jenna. There were more than 200 entrants.
I took my place at the start line, started my opera playlist, and cranked up the volume, and when given the signal, began my slow, steady running pace. I was being passed on either side by so many people, but that didn’t matter. I was there and I was running. I watched my clock for two minutes, and then took it down to a quick walk. I repeated that process over and over again.
For about the first half mile, the negative thoughts started to creep in. “What have I gotten myself into? I already feel like I’m dying”. “I have a whole mile more to do today than what I’ve been doing”. “I’m out of breath”. “My legs are starting to burn”. I wasn’t having any of that. I shook off those thoughts and started thinking about the pavement as it passed under my feet. I concentrated on my foot strike. I focused on my breathing, inhaling for three steps, exhaling for two. I listened to my music and let all of those things take away any outside thoughts. There was nothing left but me and this run. Nothing in the world existed but that.
I was in my running pace and thought I may be close to my two minutes. I checked my time. I had gone 40 seconds past. Instead of walking, I decided to run to three minutes. I forgot to check my time again. When I finally remembered to check my time, I had ran four minutes without a walk break. I was feeling good, had a good pace, my breathing was rhythmic, and I wasn’t sore! “I’m just going to run until I feel like I need to stop”, I thought to myself. Just then, I hit the halfway point and took a Dixie cup of water from one of the volunteers. Downing it in one gulp, I dropped it into the trash can and kept my stride. I ran until just ahead I could see cars parked near the start/finish line. I knew at this point I was going to make it. I ended up running the last mile and a half without slowing to my walk.
My time for that first run wasn’t the best in the race, but it was *my* personal best according to my tracker. I finished in 42:46. 3.10 miles, 13:48 average min/mile and an average speed of 4.3 mph. I also burned 836 calories. The rest of the day I was so energized that nothing could have brought me down.
This first 5K was a real growing experience for me. I ran farther and longer than I have ever ran. I found “my groove” and finally know what a “groove” is. I’ve learned how to shut out the negative thoughts and focus on the run and nothing else. I’ve learned that I don’t have to stick to the plan that I was following. I also learned that sometimes it’s just better to do what you’re able to do rather than allowing a workout schedule to push you too hard too fast, or to hold you back when you have something greater within.
I’m already looking forward to my next 5K. I was told about the Bridge to Bridge 5K that is coming up on April 8. I’m pretty sure that I will be there.
I signed up for this run at the last minute. I’ve been training for what I thought would be my first 5K coming up in August. I heard about this run, knew it was for an awesome cause for someone I know, and looked at it as just another workout day. My plan was to continue my regular workout, walking for two minutes and then running for two. No pressure. I filled out the entry online and paid my fee. I didn’t really think any more about it until Saturday morning.
Saturday morning came and I got dressed and made my way to Angler’s Park. I picked up my package and attached my first bib to my tee shirt. It was chilly out, but not terrible. I knew that I would warm up fairly soon. More and more people began to show up to support Jenna. There were more than 200 entrants.
For about the first half mile, the negative thoughts started to creep in. “What have I gotten myself into? I already feel like I’m dying”. “I have a whole mile more to do today than what I’ve been doing”. “I’m out of breath”. “My legs are starting to burn”. I wasn’t having any of that. I shook off those thoughts and started thinking about the pavement as it passed under my feet. I concentrated on my foot strike. I focused on my breathing, inhaling for three steps, exhaling for two. I listened to my music and let all of those things take away any outside thoughts. There was nothing left but me and this run. Nothing in the world existed but that.
I was in my running pace and thought I may be close to my two minutes. I checked my time. I had gone 40 seconds past. Instead of walking, I decided to run to three minutes. I forgot to check my time again. When I finally remembered to check my time, I had ran four minutes without a walk break. I was feeling good, had a good pace, my breathing was rhythmic, and I wasn’t sore! “I’m just going to run until I feel like I need to stop”, I thought to myself. Just then, I hit the halfway point and took a Dixie cup of water from one of the volunteers. Downing it in one gulp, I dropped it into the trash can and kept my stride. I ran until just ahead I could see cars parked near the start/finish line. I knew at this point I was going to make it. I ended up running the last mile and a half without slowing to my walk.
Near the finish line, I could see the banner with the timer just ahead. I pulled out my phone and took a picture just 13 seconds before I crossed it. As I approached, I heard someone shout out, “Good job, 289”, and a few people clapping. I had finished my first 5K.
My time for that first run wasn’t the best in the race, but it was *my* personal best according to my tracker. I finished in 42:46. 3.10 miles, 13:48 average min/mile and an average speed of 4.3 mph. I also burned 836 calories. The rest of the day I was so energized that nothing could have brought me down.
This first 5K was a real growing experience for me. I ran farther and longer than I have ever ran. I found “my groove” and finally know what a “groove” is. I’ve learned how to shut out the negative thoughts and focus on the run and nothing else. I’ve learned that I don’t have to stick to the plan that I was following. I also learned that sometimes it’s just better to do what you’re able to do rather than allowing a workout schedule to push you too hard too fast, or to hold you back when you have something greater within. I’m already looking forward to my next 5K. I was told about the Bridge to Bridge 5K that is coming up on April 8. I’m pretty sure that I will be there.
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