The 5K was in Cowpens, South Carolina and was hosted by a local running organization. I really, really wanted to find a 5K that supported a cause I cared about because running is stupid and paying to run is even more stupid. If the money were going to a good cause I would feel much better about it. Unfortunately, my friend and I were unable to find a January race nearby that was cause-oriented, so we paid 20 bucks each to run for no real reason.
My three goals going into the race were: don't die, don't walk, and don't take more than 30 minutes to cross the finish line. Thanks to the man upstairs and the fact that a good third of the race was downhill, I completed all three goals. There was one point during the race that I thought I might have to walk, or worse, vomit, but I pushed through and thought about the wonderful shower and meal I was going to indulge in post-race. After I crossed the finish line I kept running--straight into a field of grass where I sprawled out gracefully and tried to catch my breath/slow my heart rate/stay alive.
I finished in 29:23; 44th out of the 115 women who participated and 129th out of the 245 total runners. Most importantly, I finished THIRD in my age group!!!! Not too flabby. (Excuse the pun).
A scene from my favorite movie, Forrest Gump. This is basically how the race was, with me in the front and everyone else trying to catch up with me. I didn't have on a hat, however. Or a beard.
Although I by no means consider myself a runner, it felt amazing to reach a running goal. I heard the other day that 90% of Americans can't run a mile and I survived running three in less than half an hour. I don't love running, but I do love the feeling of completing a run. I love getting faster and feeling stronger. I love pushing my body to see what my limits actually are. Most of all though, I love how my abs look like a Hershey bar post workout.
No comments:
Post a Comment