Ever thought about the best soundtrack for running? I've been spending a lot of time on this one lately, as I've decided that having music to listen to while I run might help me go farther and faster. Or if not, to at least enjoy the time out there a little more. I want to make my perfect music mix, but so far have only one song. It's a song from my misspent teenage years, Cake's The Distance. If you've never heard it, you really should. Click on the link below and at least listen to the beginning, and you'll see why it's a great song for running.
Many of you know I completed my first 5K on Sunday. It was an awesome run, not only because I met my goal and finished the race, but because runner is never a word I would have thought could describe me. I've always been tall, so technically I should be a great runner, but I was also painfully shy and awkward. As a kid, I played a little softball, but I felt so bad when I made a mistake, that I never improved. I just got more and more nervous that I would mess up and let everyone down. After that great team sport experience, I decided to just tuck sports away and be the best student I could be. At least that's an individual challenge, and to me a lot less stressful.
Through the years my friend Sarah tried to get me to run. In middle school she convinced me to go out for track. It was kind of the perfect sport, since they don't cut anyone, so I knew I could be on the team. I never minded running races and being last place, until my coach decided to put me on the relay team. Oh, and as the anchor. Yes, our team stunk, and I believe the race was over before I even started my lap, but I still had to run my slow, slow way around the track. No more track team for me!
Our senior year in high school, Sarah again tried to get me to run. She would wake me up at ungodly hours to go running. Of course, I was completely out of shape and running was nothing but pain. I'd heard of the runner's high, but I thought maybe it was a campfire story they make up to convince people that running is fun, because for me, it was anything but.
Fast forward about 10 years. For the past 4 years, I'd been active in Baby Boot Camp. I had gotten in shape and knew I could meet challenges, but I still never wanted to run. In February, Baby Boot Camp started it's 3 month MoLo challenge. Each month you had a different area to focus on, strength, flexibility, and, gasp, running! I did just fine months 1 & 2, but when it came to April and the running portion I was a little nervous. Of course, I'm also very competitive, so I decided to just start running a little around my neighborhood, so I could improve my half mile times. About halfway through the month, our instructor suggested we all run about 3 miles together. I didn't think I could run the whole way, but I thought it would be fun to hang out with my friends and try. I did end up making the whole run, and I was hooked.
I signed up for the local 5K, and decided to give it a whirl. I was pretty nervous, but I didn't want to let anyone know. I went to the race on Sunday morning and hung out with my friend Angel while we waited for the race to start and I tried not to vomit.
And we're off!
The crowd of runners was electric. Every time I thought I needed to slow down, I looked around at the other runners and kept going. The best was when I was able to pass people that got tired, it gave me a boost of confidence!
Most of the race I had a guy in a banana suit in front of me. I had to sprint at the end so I could beat him, since who wants to be beaten by a banana?
There I am, behind the guy in the green shirt. Get out your magnifying glasses! And if you look far behind me, you can see Mr Banana!
And done!
The family came out to support me. Olivia was sure I would win, but I don't think she was too disappointed that didn't happen!
Now that the race is complete, I feel like I CAN call myself a runner. And I want to run more races, I'm hooked!
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