My First 5K - On the Road to My Next 5K!

Well Ladies and Gents I have some very exciting news to share with you!

In the middle of  November I gave the Couch to 5K Program a try using the fabulous KissMyBlackAss.org Podcasts (thanks Seester for reminding me)! I knew that walking was no longer doing it for me and I wanted to up my excercise! However I was terrified of running! I haven't run since high school (aside from on an elliptical) and being overweight I was so embarassed to run and have my fat jiggling all over the damn place.

So how did I overcome that fear? I got up early and started to do the program in the wee hours before work where I knew NO ONE would see me give it a shot! I started the 9 week program on November 13th and knew it was the right choice!

I LOVED the first week. I LOVED the music and I LOVED that I could even run at all! It may seem strange to some people but the high I got from running soley came from the fact that I was ABLE TO RUN! I'm serious. In my mind I never had that confidence that I could ever run even a mile on my own.

After week 5 of the program I stopped. Not because I gave up but because I was running 3 miles without stopping, I no longer needed the interval running to keep me going. I couldn't even fathom that I was able to quit after Week 5 and essentially jump to Week 9 where you run for 30 minutes straight.

Not only that but I decided to challenge myself and I signed up to do a 5K Resolution Run. I kept it a secret from almost everyone because I didn't want to fail. I wanted to succeed but again I was so terrified that I'd fail. Yes I may have been running the 3.10 miles on my own but for some reason it never computed to me that I'd be able to do those same miles in a race.

On January 1, 2012 I woke up and donned my trusty workout clothes and shoes. I'll admit I had nerves and unfortunately being my first race I didn't realize that you really don't need to be there right when they say. We showed up at 9AM and there was no one there but those who were setting up the booths. Needless to say we took a little drive and went to get Chuckles some breakfast.

At 9:20 we parked the car and I walked up the Registration Booth to pick up my Bib Number!

And of course I am going to scrapbook this event that I have NEVER thought would happen in my life!

Because they had such a huge turnout they did 2 "heats". The first "heat" A.K.A Race, was for those who could finish in 20 minutes or less. Nope NOT ME! I ran the second "heat", where we started 10 minutes later. There were quite a few others in the second heat so I felt a little bit better. Still nervous standing there all alone while Chuckles snapped pictures!

At first I got passed up by so many people but I didn't dare look behind me. It didn't matter. I had a goal and I wanted to meet it. I wanted my best time yet which would have been anything less than 36 minutes. I was shooting for 34 minutes.

Here I am in the final stretches of the race.

And here I am crossing the finish line. I'm not even going to lie, once I saw that finish line I sped up. I was ready to be done. I had met my goal!!!!!!! I did the race in 34 minutes and 3 seconds (according to the official time on the website). I wanted to cry because it was such an overwhelming feeling to not only participate but then to meet my goal. I can't even describe how proud I am of myself. And yes I'll toot my own horn on this one.

To know that I worked hard to get to this point only made me more motivated. I have already signed up for two more 5ks this year and I am determined to do a 10k. My next 5k is in May and I want to complete it in less than 30 minutes.

The weight loss journey I experienced last year didn't hit me emotionally until the end of the year. Its a journey I never thought I would lose 53lbs. I never ever imagined I'd go from a size 20 to size 16 (and still shrinking YAY). I never in my life imagined I'd run 3.1 miles because I want to not because I had to.

I never thought I'd run in a 5k race.

Now I can't wait to get off work and go for a run! Yes, I'm running in daylight and damn proud of it.

Now I can't wait for my next two 5ks and I wish they were here already.

Now I can't wait to run in a 10k race.

To all of you who think you can't lose the weight or you can't become athletic.

YOU CAN!!

When I was talking to a friend of mine about being nervous about the race, she asked me why. I said cause I'm not a runner.

Her response - "You go running right? Then You ARE a Runner"!

2011 was an amazing year for me and even as I'm writing this post I'm brought to tears because never in my life did I think I was capable of changing my weight and my health but I did it damnnit and I am so proud of myself!

Thank you to my family and friends who reassured me and supported me throughout the last year and who I know will continue to support and be on my side throughout the rest of this journey!

A huge thank you to my Chuckles. He has been the most supportive and reassured me constantly that I can do this and has reminded me constantly of how much I've already done!

To my readers I hope you've made it through this long post. I know it's different from a lot of my other posts and it's a lot longer but I appreciate your time and your support as well!

Happy 2012!! May it be the best year for everyone!!