Get It Together.

Lots of stuff going on this week! First, I have a coupon to share with you, dear readers:

$1 your next order at RoadID! Use this code: ThanksTamara4198255

 
I recently ordered one and they were kind enough to send me a discount offer to share. It's good for the next 30 days. Kind of a morbid product, I know, but with outdoor running season around the corner, why not? Plus, I like that you can include a line of motivational text. Neat stuff.

Second, I ordered my ACE Personal Trainer study materials! Yep, after almost 3 years of just thinking about it, I'm finally going for my PT certification. Ever since I placed the order on Tuesday, I've been incredibly stoked. I'm excited to take my love for fitness to the next level. I could go on for several more paragraphs about how dope this is, but I'll save that for when I actually pass the exam, haha.

Third, I signed up for another 5K race in April. And yes, it's the same one I participated in last year, haha. Oh well. I haven't done any other races since then and can't believe it's almost been a year already. Sheesh.

Fourth, to help get me motivated for the race and to add more structure to my training, I've decided to revisit the good ol' C25K plan. Since I've been running more the past month, I'm starting with week 5. My last few runs have felt a little... I don't know... Disorganized? I think it will help to practice some timing patterns and increase my pace. Looking forward to it!

Fifth? Tunes (lyrics totally NSFW):


Busy, exciting week with even more busy-ness and excitement to follow. Hope everyone's week is going well; the weekend's almost here!

5k pics

Got the 5k pics from my mom. I look pretty terrible, but that was to be expected, haha.



Just after the race started.



Heading toward the finish line...



Crossed the finish line...



DONE!

It's 4:30 and I've done nothing productive today except laundry. I've literally been on the couch the majority of the day, eating and watching Kids in the Hall. Sigh. And of course I feel bad about it. I really wish I could enjoy/appreciate days off from working out, but I just feel guilty, lazy and depressed. I might still go for a walk though. I just need to not push myself... When I can't remember the last time I took a day off from exercise, I know that it's been far too long and that my body is probably tired. Buh. Why are Sundays always so lame?

Race day!

Ok, before I get to the details of my first official 5k, lemme just get this out of the way:

29:26!!!!!

Are you shitting me? I'm still in awe right now. Despite the weather (foggy, cold, drizzly) and all of those damn hills, I (me!), managed to finish in under 30 minutes. Absolutely incredible.

I had my alarm set for 7, but was out of bed a little before 6:30. I wanted to eat a little something as soon as I could so I had plenty of time to digest. Had a scoop of Chocolate Superfood with water, half a banana and half a slice of Great Harvest Cinnamon Chip, toasted.

Started getting ready and got increasingly nervous and excited. Took a pic of myself (or my number, rather):



That's all the hot picture action I have for now, sorry! My mom took some shots about a minute into the race and then a couple of post-race shots. As soon as I get them from her, I'll post 'em here.

SO. I got off to a pretty good start. But after about the first 5 minutes, I started having all of those nonsense thoughts: "Shit, I wanna walk already but we just started! Who am I kidding- I can't keep up with these people! Ugh, I'm going so slow. Fuck, hill coming up. Should I walk?"

But I didn't walk. And I finished another hill. And another. And another. And I kept up with those around me which made me feel really good. They all seemed to be going at a reasonable pace (especially one guy in particular who remained my unofficial running buddy most of the time), so I stopped all of the nonsense talk and just did my best to keep up with them. Ended up being a good plan of action.

No real cramps. Had to be careful clearing the spit out of my throat a few times though. And, even though I thought it would suck, having a light drizzle actually made breathing easier and kept me from feeling dehydrated. Blessing in disguise, I suppose.

The best part about races? People cheering for you along the way! I wish I had people cheering me on all the time, haha.

Making it to the half-way mark was bittersweet because immediately after that was just one long, never-ending hill. I thought I would give myself a walking break, but then I remembered how I tackled the same hill the week before during my practice run without walking. I pushed through, kept looking down and before I knew it, the top was there. A few small hills followed, but the worst was over and I was in the home stretch, more or less.

I approached the finish line and saw my mom and Doug, cheering me on. The director guy was rooting for me as well, and said "That a girl!" when I started sprinting toward the last cone. I was a bit frazzled and happy and then Doug signaled to me to look at my time. When I saw a 2 in front, I couldn't believe it. I remember looking at my watch at 9:24 and figured it would take me another 10 minutes from where I was, but I overestimated, apparently.

Such a great first race experience! It really exposed me to a deeper psychological aspect of running; despite what I thought earlier this week, my body was totally capable of running that course in the time that it did. Running with a group of people just brought out a natural competitive edge. It wasn't so much that I was trying to compete with everyone around me, but their presence made me want to compete with myself, more so than I ever had on previous solo/treadmill runs.

I placed #48 out of an estimated 150 people, so I'm pretty pleased. My final time is what's really making me smile though. I'm genuinely proud of myself.