Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Take That, Old Body!

I can do hard things!  After months of training, I accomplished my goal of participating in the Kansas City Temple Run 5K!  And I got a much better time than I was expecting!  My original goal was to run the race in under 35 minutes, but I changed the goal to 30 minutes when I realized I was getting faster.  I crossed the finish line in 28:44!  It was nowhere near some of my friends who finished in 22 minutes, and not even close to Ryan's 25:27, but I was elated!  Running does NOT come easily to me at all.  I have an injury in my calf muscle that causes me constant pain, I can't ever seem to catch my breath no matter what breathing techniques I try, I haven't been in great shape since I was a kid, it's hard for me to find the time to dedicate to constant exercise, I am apparently more thirsty than the average runner regardless of the amount of water I drink before and after the run, and most importantly (and also most disgustingly) I pee myself the ENTIRE time I run.  I have to wear a maxi pad that is as large as Mt. Everest and could soak up the entire Pacific Ocean.  It is most definitely not fun.  But I did it, and I'm ridiculously proud of myself!!!

Brynlie took this picture pre-race.  It was SOOOO cold outside, I wondered if the run would actually still be held.  When we arrived, it was 36 degrees with drizzly rain and by the end of the race it had reached a balmy 39.  We had record-crappy weather this week in Missouri, because it actually SNOWED a couple days before the race.  May in Missouri and we woke up to snow.  Yuck!  Luckily, I think the cold actually helped me run faster!  I had gone to a sporting goods store the night before and bought tight running pants, because I usually run inside on the treadmill unless it's at least 60 degrees outside.  The pants kept me toasty warm, and I actually took off my gloves in the middle of the race because I was beginning to sweat.

I was so nervous about the competition of the race, because I usually like to run alone.  I was also nervous because I had been super sick for the past week.  Remember how I made fun of Ryan having a man-cold during one of my previous posts?  Well, I ended up also getting the man-cold and suddenly I was keenly aware of how horrible the sickness made him feel.  I was hardly able to do any training because I was coughing and sneezing constantly, and couldn't breathe out of my nose at all.  Luckily, I was feeling quite a bit better by the morning of the race.



Races have changed just a bit since the last one I ran in 1985!  The digital chips that are on the back of the race number give the exact time it took to finish the race.  I was happy to learn this, because I could start at the back of the racers and take my time getting my iPod adjusted before I officially began the race by crossing the Starting line.  I had to talk to myself in my head for much of the race, telling myself I could continue when I thought I couldn't.

This picture of Ryan, me and Brevan was taken post-race.  Brevan was NOT happy that we forced him to run the 5K.  We told him it wouldn't be so hard if he had actually trained like we told him to for months before the race.  He finished in just under 37 minutes.  I was proud of him for participating.  His friend, Clayton, won first place in the entire race and crossed the finish line in just over SIXTEEN minutes!  I fully expect to watch him in the Olympics someday!




Logan ran the 100 yard dash, and claimed he had won when they gave him a simple medal that said "Winner" on it, even though every child received the same medal.  He is positive that he was the fastest 5-year-old in the race!  I'm so glad he feels like a winner!


Lindsey and Brynlie participated in the 400 yard dash, and Brynlie WON by a landslide!  She was racing against boys and girls as old as 14, and still managed to leave them all in the dust.  We might have a track star living in our house!  Lindsey did very well in the race also, finishing in the top 10!  





We killed it!!!  Now it's time to set a new goal because I've had no motivation to run in the past week! Haha!

1 comment:

Janee said...

Congrats! That's so great you got your whole family involved. Now you just need to sign up for another race to keep you motivated! I get so nervous for races but love working towards a goal of finishing. Good job, Ali.