My First Race*

I was really, really hoping to write this post on Saturday night, right after I finished the race…. but then, you know, life happened. And now it’s Thursday and here I am! YAY!

I swear days are simply blending together and I’m not sure when one ends and when one begins. My dad popped in for a visit today and asked me what I’d been up to the last few days, and I honestly couldn’t even remember. It’s been busy but not really busy and I just don’t know where time disappears to.

*sigh*

Anyway.

So, I started running again. It’s taken me some time to ease my old, post-partum body back into it, but I finally feel like I’m starting to find my rhythm. I registered for a race when I first started out so that I would have something to work towards, and the big day finally came last Saturday.

To be completely honest, I wasn’t even really sure if we were going to make it. Autumn has definitely arrived in Southern Ontario, and the forecast for Saturday was not looking good. The Hubster and I both registered for the race, which meant the kiddos were tagging along in our jogging stroller. Over the course of last week, Saturday’s forecast turned from bad to worse. By Friday night, the weather network was predicting a very chilly, very wet morning, and I had reservations about bringing the kids out in that.

We woke up to cold, grey skies on Saturday morning, but since it wasn’t raining, we decided to go. We packed the kids and stroller in the car and jumped on the highway… and then it started pouring. When we arrived at the park and found our starting area, the Hubster and I sat in the car and watched the rain stream down the windshield as we talked about what we should do. I dressed the kids warmly, and our stroller has a rain cover to keep them dry, so when the rain eased up a little, we decided just to go for it. Our friends who were running the race with us arrived, and we all registered and made our way down to the starting line.

We ended up stretching (waiting) for a half hour as there was some mix up with the start time. Despite our smiles we were not impressed. It took some serious sugar bribery to keep the Wee-bean from melting down, and poor Hank just wanted the stroller to move so he could sleep.

Finally, horn blew and off we went. I lost sight of the Hubster in about 6 seconds, but I put my head down and focused on my own goals: Don’t be last, and finish in under 40 minutes.

I’m not going to lie, it was really hard. My clothes and shoes were soaked, and I have only run the full 5km a few times. The first 4 kilometers felt good, but I really had to push through the last one.

I was the last one to finish in our group, but I don’t care. As I was coming toward the finish line and saw them all there cheering me on, there was a half second where I felt self-conscious that I was so slow, but I quickly shook it off. Even though they all beat me, I beat both my goals! Even as slow as I currently am, there is no way I could have run 5km 6 weeks ago. I keep telling myself that my journey to get back in shape is a marathon, not a sprint. I am just taking things one run at a time, and each day I try to push myself a little bit further.

I’ve already been out running twice this week, and I can’t wait to get out again. It feels SO good to be exercising again… I wish I had never stopped.

I just registered for my second race at the beginning of October. I’m hoping to run the race in under 35 minutes this time, so I have some work to do! Seventeen sleeps to race day–time to get movin’.