36:47
Woo hoo! I ran my first road race this weekend, a 5k. That's about 3.1 miles, for those of you who don't speak metric. Not far by some standards, but considering that 12 weeks ago I hadn't run since I was 17, it's far enough.
Here I am, in the second row with the blue pants on. Not a great photo, but it's all I have. The woman with the short hair on the right is our coach, Pam.
It all started with the Avon Walk. After a spring and half a summer of long-distance walking I was completely over the idea of walking as serious exercise. It takes too long -- who has five hours to walk 20 miles each weekend? So running was the next logical thing to try. I trained through a local store, Fleet Feet, and a program called No Boundaries specifically for new runners. I had two coaches and a group of ten or so folks to run with each week. I enjoyed the training more than I thought I would: it turns out that running is fun. It took a coach to show me that I was trying to go too fast (that's why I got winded so quickly), and that when I slowed down I'd be able to go much further. The coach also explained that if I ran with a shorter stride and pumped my arms harder, hills were no problem (I used to have to walk up them). It took the pressure of an organized group each Thursday to get me out of the house on the days in between, and the knowledge that each week we'd bump up the distance to keep me from slacking off. Somehow it all worked, and I loved the process as much as the event. I came in 679th, and that's just fine with me.
Race day weather set the stage for success -- about 70 degrees and (surprise) sunny. (It's always sunny here.) We ran at the Boulder Reservoir with about 900 entrants. Along the way I got passed by a couple of kids 1/4 my age, and even the race walkers beat me. But, I finished in 36:47, and considering I'd been clocking 15-minute miles, I was pleased. Funnydad and the girls were there at the finish line, and nothing beats the cheering of four-year olds. It was a Thanksgiving-themed event, complete with people dressed as turkeys running alongside everyone else. Afterwards there was a kids' "fun run" for which they gave all children who wanted to participate a pin-on number (everybody was number 1). The kids ran around the parking lot and collected goodie bags at the end of the race -- M+O ran the whole way smiling and haven't let go of their souvenir water bottles since.
Now I've set my sights on running the 10k Boulder Boulder next May. At what point do I stop wondering whether I'm becoming an athlete and face the fact that I have a new hobby?
It all started with the Avon Walk. After a spring and half a summer of long-distance walking I was completely over the idea of walking as serious exercise. It takes too long -- who has five hours to walk 20 miles each weekend? So running was the next logical thing to try. I trained through a local store, Fleet Feet, and a program called No Boundaries specifically for new runners. I had two coaches and a group of ten or so folks to run with each week. I enjoyed the training more than I thought I would: it turns out that running is fun. It took a coach to show me that I was trying to go too fast (that's why I got winded so quickly), and that when I slowed down I'd be able to go much further. The coach also explained that if I ran with a shorter stride and pumped my arms harder, hills were no problem (I used to have to walk up them). It took the pressure of an organized group each Thursday to get me out of the house on the days in between, and the knowledge that each week we'd bump up the distance to keep me from slacking off. Somehow it all worked, and I loved the process as much as the event. I came in 679th, and that's just fine with me.
Race day weather set the stage for success -- about 70 degrees and (surprise) sunny. (It's always sunny here.) We ran at the Boulder Reservoir with about 900 entrants. Along the way I got passed by a couple of kids 1/4 my age, and even the race walkers beat me. But, I finished in 36:47, and considering I'd been clocking 15-minute miles, I was pleased. Funnydad and the girls were there at the finish line, and nothing beats the cheering of four-year olds. It was a Thanksgiving-themed event, complete with people dressed as turkeys running alongside everyone else. Afterwards there was a kids' "fun run" for which they gave all children who wanted to participate a pin-on number (everybody was number 1). The kids ran around the parking lot and collected goodie bags at the end of the race -- M+O ran the whole way smiling and haven't let go of their souvenir water bottles since.
Now I've set my sights on running the 10k Boulder Boulder next May. At what point do I stop wondering whether I'm becoming an athlete and face the fact that I have a new hobby?
Comments
go you!