Why I'm not a Runner

Sorry it has been awhile since I've written a new blog, time just got away from me. Lots has happened since then, but I'll have to catch you up later. This is just about today. :) 

So, last November I walked a 5k for Veterans Day and it was terrible. It took forever I was in terrible pain and I had to buy new shoes after that. Lol. So since I've been going to boot camp, I decided to run the Race for the cure this morning. I worked diligently at ordering my playlist just right, putting some great songs in the middle and the very end cause I knew those would be the hardest parts. Also running this race with me was my roommate, my brother and my dad. We all stood together waiting for it to begin. I had tried to warm up by walking around and bobby and I even danced around a little. Minutes before I got really nervous. I wanted to walk away and just forget it. But I knew that wasn't an option. I started out with a nice jog. I've been walk/jogging my treadmill time at the gym and knew that I would have to do the same for real. After two blocks, my shoe came untied because the new pink laces were too short. But I didn't want to stop. After the next block, my nasal cavity instantaneously filled with snot. This always happens when I run outside. It's incredibly frustrating. This magical substance made its way into my chest which just made it super easy to breathe...I'm not sure if this is because my sinuses are all kinds of screwed up it if this happens to everyone. If you have a solution though, I'll take it! Nevertheless, I kept on. They were only timing the first 45 minutes and I wanted to finish before that. So there was a turn around spot about halfway and that's where I got a side cramp. I kept my jogging intervals even though I really wanted to just keep walking. My toes started hurting, the side cramp was still there.Then it got worse and I was about to just say screw it and walk the rest of the way. And then Jennifer, aka Poptart, sent me this text: "Just keep running, just keep running (imagine my best Ellen voice) proud of you!!!" Which gave me a push for another jogging interval. There were people standing in front of the American Red Cross cheering and that gave me another push. Of course, at this point I had google maps up so I could keep track of how much further I had to go. I started to realize that I wasn't going to get there in 45, but I wanted to get as close as possible. So I tried to keep a light jog for a while. And then we turned the corner for the home stretch that seemed so far away!!! There were 7 blocks left. So I jog one walk one, but i was jogging with two blocks left and decided to just jog the last two blocks. Of course, it helped that my friends and family were on the other side of the finish line also.   I crossed the finish line at 47:30, which I'm really proud of. Since everyone else was walking I decided to turn around and walk with them again, so I jogged a 5k and then turned around and walked it. I have plans to attempt another 5K in October and repeat the November Veterans day race. I am confident and hopeful that I will be able to take off 2 and half minutes by the November race. Oh, I've also started a race tradition cause my friends came over after the race for mimosas which was a fabulous idea!! I think post-race mimosas are now something that will have to be done. Or something similar at least. I'm really glad that THIS race was my first race. I've walked it before but never did it have as much meaning as this year. I did it for my mom, my nanny, whom I miss sooo much right now, but mostly I did it for myself. This blog post may have a subtitle. Maybe the full name should be "Why I'm not a runner, but I'm damn sure going to keep trying" thanks to everyone for the encouragement!! Only way to go is up!!!