A while back I signed up for the Ferocious 5K in Elgin – a run benefiting my town’s school district. When I registered, I had just started the Couch 2 5K program and knew that I needed a goal to work towards to keep me motivated to finish those long runs. For me, the Ferocious 5K was perfect because proceeds would go to our school district, the race was really close to home, and it was the first time this event was organized so I knew it would be pretty small.
There weren’t many tables set-up when we arrived and I (stupidly) exchanged my ladies’ shirt for a men’s large. Well, I thought I was getting a woman’s shirt but they gave me a men’s shirt and it was too late to exchange it again. :( Guess it’s just my at-home workout shirt, and I’ll put it in the dryer hoping it shrinks. Then, before the race, a man – I’m assuming the school’s athletic director – led us in a short warm-up routine before we were off!
Honestly, about 5 minutes in I thought I was going to have to give up. I don’t know what it was, but I got winded all of a sudden and I really had to concentrate on my breathing. It took sheer determination to just keep going. Was I slow? You bet. But I just kept pushing. If I experienced any real pain, like a muscle spasm or something I would have stopped, but I was just feeling a little fatigued and knew my hesitancy was all in my head. So, I plowed through.
Before the race I set two goals for myself. 1.) Finish the race without stopping to walk; and 2.) Finish the race in under 40 minutes.
My friend actually got a photo of me approaching the finish line.
I finished the race much sooner than 53 minutes, I just went back to take a pic.
And guess what…I DID IT! The race is over and I met BOTH of my goals! I never stopped once to walk, even at the halfway point where they were giving out water, AND my official finish was 36:53 which was an 11:54/mile race time. I couldn’t be happier! I just wanted to run under 13:00/mile and I was under 12! So this is my official PR or, since it’s my first, my only PR.
My biggest regret at the Ferocious 5K was not taking more pictures. Well, first of all, I was trying to stay focused on putting one foot in front of the other (because I DID NOT want to walk) and fumbling with my phone would have distracted me too much. This course was set in a nearby subdivision and the run took you through a nice tour of the neighborhood. Some of the homes here were gorgeous, and by gorgeous I mean massive brick homes with sizable backyards. Not only that, but we also ran over a nice bridge over a pond. I SO wish I would have taken pictures. At least now I know that I need to practice my mid-run photo sessions so I can get better for the next race.
Post-race photo (I’m in blue)!
Now the only question left is…when is the next race?!?!
