My Second 5K

Last month, I ran my first 5K, and I was quite pleased with myself for 1) finishing and 2) finishing in a respectable time of about 37 minutes. Today, I ran the Getty Owl Foundation's local run to support families with children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). I had two lofty goals:

1. Finish the race, and
2. Beat my time from January's race.

No, I don't really set the bar that high.

In all honesty, I was hoping to finish in under 35 minutes, but a sluggish week of running and a general tiredness this morning made me wonder if that would be possible. Still, I donned my leggings and baseball cap (the irony of showing up at a race that is advertised as "family friendly" in a hat that says "It's 5 o'clock somewhere" is not lost on me, but it's the only baseball cap I have and it was bloody cold out there. For my part of California).  I told myself that anything under 37 was good, and under 36 would be great.

I drove the thirty minutes to Sacramento and checked in...then promptly returned to my car and tried to stay warm. Finally, with about 20 minutes to the start, I wandered over to the starting line and did a little side-step dance back and forth to keep my legs from freezing.

Finally, it was time. I had positioned myself at mid-pack to be ahead of the stroller crowd but behind the faster runners. I had to dodge a few people but then things started evening out. I set an easy pace and got going, determined to run as much as possible.

The first half was pretty uneventful. The cold air made breathing a little painful, and running on cold mornings makes my nose run, so I'm that disgusting person constantly wiping her nose on her sleeve. (I really must remember to buy a cheap bandana to tie around my arm for this purpose.) I periodically glanced down at a makeshift paper bracelet I'd made for myself that said, "I believe in me." After the halfway point, I allowed myself a little bit of walking...a slight queasy feeling had descended on my stomach and I figured I'd rather walk for a minute or two than have to stop entirely down the road to be sick. The walking (and breathing) helped, and I got running again, and felt pretty good for most of the rest of the course. I walked a few times more, but never for very long.

Towards the end of the course, as I left the Sacramento River trails and came closer to downtown, I played my favorite song--Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" on my iPod. It's not a particularly fast-tempo song, but it inspires me and makes me push myself. As I rounded a bend in the path, I saw the finish line ahead--and to my delight, the clock read 34:40! My mid-paced stride became a faster, more confident run as I came in for the finish--I wanted so badly to come in under 35 minutes! I uttered a little, "Hell yeah!" and felt a smile come over my face as I pounded my way home.

The nearest runners were yards ahead and yards behind me. I was in a little pocket by myself finishing, to the cheers of the bystanders who were there to cheer and make the runners feel good. I crossed the finish a little past the 35-minute mark, feeling triumphant and...

Uh-oh.

For a couple of minutes, I was convinced I was going to be sick--that last push to the finish was, perhaps, a wee bit too hard. I normally run about two-and-a-half miles, so an extra seven-tenths, pushing my pace, is a lot of work for me. Fortunately, I managed to calm my heaving stomach with deep breathing and some bottled water. I wandered around to cool down and checked out my official time on the computers the race management people had thoughtfully provided.

Imagine my huge delight when I found that with the difference between when I crossed the start line (remember, I was mid-pack), I actually finished today in 34:50!

I beat my time from January by a whopping 2:10...this, my friends, is amazing for someone who still feels like she's coming to terms with being a runner. Coming right after the three-year anniversary of my starting this whole weight loss and fitness adventure, I can't tell you how proud I feel, how huge a victory this is.

Of course, I texted M. the Reasonable right away. He's very proud of me, and his response to my almost getting sick was, "It's ok, it happens sometimes when you're kicking butt!"