Up until a few years ago, I had never run more than 1 mile at a time. Never. It's not that I'm not athletic - I played basketball and tennis growing up, started playing soccer on a summer league during high school, and held up with the best of them on the intramural broomball team in college. My knees had two giant bruises on them every January from 2001 to 2004. And now, in my late 20's, I've joined a women's soccer team. Sure, we're considered recreational, but we don't mess around. So, maybe by being in team sports all along caused me not to go out and run by myself. No ball, no opponent, no doubles partner. Where's the competition in that, right?
It was the fall of 2007 and Thanksgiving was coming up. The gym my husband and I belong to puts on a Thanksgiving Day 5K race every year in downtown Minneapolis. I really wanted to do it because I thought it'd be a great way to get in a workout before attending two Thanksgiving family gatherings only hours apart. My husband and I signed up along with his younger brother. Race day came and we woke up to snow! Not only had I not really trained for this race, but now it was snowing. I put on some sweats and a hat. Off we went. It was a really fun event and finishing the race made it even better! I was so proud of myself for running 3.1 miles... a slow 3.1 miles and maybe I walked just a bit, but I did it. My husband ran beside me the entire way even though he could've finished in half the time. What a guy.
The next weekend, a friend and I ran another 5K race around a lake in Minneapolis. It was snowing and sleeting and there was an awful wind off the lake. We had a fantastic time despite it all. Two 5Ks under my belt. This is fun, I thought!
Next, my husband and I visited his sister and her husband who lived in Phoenix at the time. I begged the three of them to sign up for a 5K while we were out there visiting. It was unlike my other 5Ks: hot temps, hot sun, uphill. It was my first 5K in shorts and a tanktop. We were sweaty and beat, but we did it!
A year went by and I hadn't done any races even though I did keep up with running at the gym. In the beginning of 2009, we tried for a baby and I got pregnant right away. We felt so lucky. About 3 months after my son was born, it hit me that getting back in shape would be the hardest thing in the world to accomplish in the midst of getting little sleep, nursing, going back to work after maternity leave and having little time for myself. I needed motivation to do something about it. A friend and I signed up (after much hesitation on both our parts) for a half marathon. A HALF MARATHON. According to training schedules we found online, we were already behind since the race was only 4 months away, so we had to get running! The 5Ks I had run before were all mostly for fun, but I signed up for the half more or less to get back in shape. Once I finished, I realized I ran it for so many more reasons.
I felt such a sense of accomplishment when I finally made it over 1 mile. Then 2 and 3. And then 13.1.
Next post: my half-marathon from start to finish. Oh yes, I finished!
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