Monday, August 2, 2010

5K Sundae

Yesterday Pete and I ran in our very first 5K.  The race I chose for us to start out on was called the Walnut Beach Ice Cream 5K.  (Get it??  That why the title of this post is "5K Sundae" instead of "5K Sunday" - thank to inspiration from Bob via Twitter last week.)  Every participant got a free ice cream cone - although I was disappointed to find out that the cones weren't handed out at the finish line.  Instead, we need to bring our race bibs to the creamery, where they'll give us our cones.

We've been using the Couch to 5K program to train, and just finished our last session on Friday.  So we were nervous, but we hoped we were ready.


In retrospect, I'm pretty sure we weren't.  Oh my goodness, it was HARD.  Much harder than our normal training runs.  In the end, Pete ran the whole thing without any walking breaks.  His time was 35:54 and he placed 300th out of 337 runners.  I needed to walk a few times, but I think I tended to psyche myself out and I probably didn't really need to walk as much as I did.  But I let the negative thoughts in my head convince me that I couldn't do it, and at one point I even muttered "I suck" under my breath.  In the end, I finished 322nd out of the 337 runners, with a time of 39:55.

As tough as it was, I have to admit I did okay.  My goal had been to finish somewhere between 40 and 45 minutes.  I just eked in under my goal.  My blood sugar spiked higher than normal, probably due to the nerves, but settled to a happy 129 by the end of the run.  And I learned some great things that I think will help me next time - such as don't listen to the doubting voices in my head.  I'm going to sign us up for a few more 5Ks through out the fall, and I'm hoping to get my finish time down to 35 minutes.

Up next is an informal 5K in Central Park on Friday in conjunction with BlogHer!  I signed up for the 6:15 am slot - which seemed like a good idea since I'm slow, but also seems like a bad idea because I'll be so tired.  I'm not really worried about meeting any time goal for this run, I just want to do it and have fun.  At least I have a cute new top to wear for the occasion!


K.C. looks like she isn't quite sure she approves.  After all, it is blatant self-promotion of my blog!

13 comments:

  1. Congrats to you both!!!!! So very cool.

    Keep up the great work and can't wait to hear about the next run.

    LOVE the shirt!!!!

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  2. Hey Karen,

    First and foremost, CONGRATULATIONS! You did it, you ran your first 5k!

    I know it's hard to be proud of yourself when you feel crummy about your performance, so I don't want to chirp "You should feel proud no matter what!!!!!!!" My first 5K (well, 3.8 mile) race was miserable. I was huffing and puffing while my dad was gliding along next to me, and for the whole my last mile my innards were CRYING for a Port-a-Potty. Eurgh! But it sounds like you have a great, diplomatic attitude: you learned a few things, are looking ahead, and still managed to hit your goal (rock!). And hey, now your next races will only go better....and faster! :D

    One thing I've discovered recently: when I'm going through torturous runs, I tend to breathe shallow and close up my throat. I ran a miserable rainy half marathon in April, and I sounded like a dying elephant for the last five miles because I was gasping and wheezing so much. When I think about breathing deeply from my diaphragm, it really lowers my perceived exertion and keeps me plugging through to the end. Not sure if it would help for you, but it definitely makes a difference for me!

    Once again, YIPPEE for your first race, and may you keep running many more!

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  3. Nice work! I took a running class in the end of my college career, and the coach told me that "Hey, at least you finished without passing out."

    That is definitely one sweet shirt! Haha, typed it in and realized how "punny" it was...oh I'm on a roll today!

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  4. Congrats on completing the 5K - you made it! And love the shirt!!!

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  5. Congrats on the 5K, Karen! I am very impressed. I've always wanted to try running, and have never gotten past 2 minutes. However did you do it?

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  6. Congrats Karen!! I'm so proud of you and knew you could do it :) Congrats to your Honey too! Yaaaay!

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  7. "I suck" sounds exactly like the kind of thing I would mutter to myself while trying to run a 5k.

    I'm guessing, of course, because I've never actually run one.

    Congratulations, and good luck on the next race!

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  8. You rock!!! That is so awesome! If I said - I'm so proud of you - would it sound too much like a mom??

    I am though - great job!

    AND . . . I LOVE the shirt!

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  9. Wow Karen - you did an awesome thing for yourselves and inspired more than one or two people, I suspect. Congratulations! I LOVE the new shirt too. Thanks for posting and I look forward to reading more. All the best,
    Denise

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  10. I am so proud of you and Pete! You guys are an inspiration! but that is bogus about the Ice Cream!

    I WANT ICE CREAM NOW!!!

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  11. " I did okay"??????

    You did phenomenally! Awesome job! Way to go! And I love the shirt!

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Thanks for your comment!