Hard to believe I’m almost ¾ of the way through my ‘30’ year. Seems like just yesterday that I was mourning the loss of my youth, drinking wine at 2pm to numb the dread I was feeling about my impending birthday and preparing myself for fat pants and plummeting boobs. Remarkably, it hasn’t been so bad. It really just feels like every other year, except I DO feel slightly wiser, although some would disagree that I actually am. For the most part, 2012 has been good to me. I’ve been content in my life. I’ve made important decisions for ME and for Isaac without worrying so much about the opinions of others. And best of all, I’ve relaxed, physically and mentally. I’ve read novels, spent entire days in my pajamas on the couch with Isaac, watching Transformers marathons and Rangers games, and I've gone to bed at 7pm just because I wanted to. Some may call this being anti-social or a “hermit”, as I’ve been called before. But I call it prioritizing the little things in life. I’ve also managed, for the first time EVER, to stick to my New Years/’30’ year resolution which was to run a race every month for all of 2012. It has been quite the journey and I wanted to document my experience so I’d always remember it. For any of you following my races on fb, you’ve been able to see some pictures and read some brief summaries of the races so far. But here is the inside scoop on each race. I've split it between 2 different posts because it ended up being super long. This is Part I:
September 25, 2011 – Heroes for Children 5k, Plano, TX
It was brutal. It was painful and I was exhausted after the first half mile. I felt like I was hauling bricks for 3.1 miles (it was actually my heavy bottom). Every moment of this race sucked. Well, I take that back. I enjoyed the water stations because it gave me an excuse to stop without looking like I was giving up. But the best part about it was the finish line, and not just because it was the light at the end of the dark, sweaty, nauseous, miserable tunnel that was the 5k. It was the adrenaline rush I got by seeing the finish line and hearing the screams of the people who cheer for you for the last 0.1 mile. Thank goodness for those wonderful people and the people who cheer you on from the sidelines throughout the race. My pride wouldn’t allow me to walk past a lot of them. I had to run to avoid looking pitiful. If not for them, it may have taken me an hour to finish. But instead, it took me 41:56, significantly faster than I ever imagined. From then, I was hooked.
October 30, 2011 – Halloween Hustle 5k, McKinney, TX
After the Heroes for Children race, I wanted more of the adrenaline rush. I couldn’t wait to run my next race, try to beat my time and become “a runner”. I felt like I couldn’t really claim that title as A Runner until I did another (100% voluntary) race. So, I registered for the Halloween Hustle because it was soon after the HFC race and I didn’t want to have time to get lazier and change my mind. One way I pumped myself up for it was by deciding to run the race in costume. What better way to get excited for a race than to make my own orange tutu and run as “candy corn”? I mean, if I have to spend 40+ minutes in pure hell, gasping for air and feeling sweat drip down my legs, I might as well look cute doing it. I’m not going to lie, this one was tough, too. It was 40* and windy that morning so my legs were numb beneath my tutu. It was also on a miserable course with a lot of hills. My goal: beat my previous time of 41:56. And survive. This was my first experience with running in the cold. All of my other runs had been miserably hot so I didn’t know what to expect. To give you a visual, have you ever accidentally swallowed an ice cube whole and, unable to do anything about it, had to feel it in your esophagus while it slooooowly melts? Yeah, that about sums it up. Painful. While running this race, I spent all of my time adjusting my tutu so it didn’t fall off, pulling my shorts out of my crotch and trying to pull my shirt up over my mouth so I could thaw my lungs. When I finally crossed the finish line at 41:51 (I beat my time by 5 seconds!), I was frozen and could barely talk. The best part about finishing THIS race was what Isaac said to me when I crossed the finish line: “Mom, you did so good! You’re the LAST ONE!!” For the record, I was the second to last one. J The only person who finished after me was a guy running the race with his little boy. So thanks to that kid for slowing down daddy so I didn’t have to be last!
December 10, 2011 – Great Santa Run, Plano TX
What’s better than running a race in a Santa suit?! Anything…..seriously. Don’t get me wrong, the group of therapists who ran the race were rockin’ those Santa suits and had a great time taking pictures before the race. But running in them was a different story. The runners who registered early got the traditional suits that are made of soft, roomy material. The rest of us got suits made of scratchy felt. Ghetto Santas. When I moved, the material pulled apart and left an open space. Lucky for me (and anyone running behind me), I wore my black running shorts under the pants. Otherwise, I would’ve looked like I was wearing Santa chaps by the end of it. This race was tough (are you sensing a theme?) Not only was it cold and difficult to run in Santa suits, I also experienced shin pain from the get-go. This was before I bought decent running shoes, so I had been running in too-small New Balance shoes since before my first race. The wear and tear on my legs decided to catch up to me when I started this race. I dodged 2,000 Santas and tried to keep up with my friend Julie (who finished 13:00 before me! HA!) and tried to ignore my screaming legs. Goal for this race: beat my time again and limit the amount of frigid air I inhaled. I finished in approximately 40:23 (beating another record!) and managed to breath in much less icy air this time around thanks to my Santa beard that was pulled over my mouth. That night, as I sat at my friend’s house with bags of ice on my shins and a cup of strong coffee, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. 3 months prior to this, I was avoiding races (and running in general) like the plague. But I had just completed my THIRD race! That feeling made the shin splints much more bearable. It was around this time that I decided that I would continue running these races and hold myself accountable by making it my New Year’s resolution: One race per month for all of 2012.
January 22, 2012 – Resolution Run, McKinney TX
Back to the dreaded hilly course in McKinney. But this time I was armed with the coolest neon argyle socks and my brand new Brooks PureCadence shoes that I had bought myself as a 30th birthday gift. Like I said before, misery is much more tolerable when you look cute. The weather was still cool but not so frigid that ice crystals were forming in my nose. It was 55*, which is now my favorite running temperature. But it was WINDY! Running in wind is almost as bad as running in freezing temps. I honestly don’t recall much of this race. I think I mentally checked out after the first of several hills. My only goal was to beat my last race time, which I did. I finished my first sub-40:00 race in 39:16. I was shocked that I finished in under 40:00 because again, I had spent a lot of running time pulling my shorts out of my rear as well as fighting 30mph wind gusts that were attempting to blow me back to the starting line. This race would be the last time I would wear my running shorts. I just don’t have the skinny thighs that allow my shorts to stay in place. Mine try to eat them.
February 18, 2012 – Generational Equality Cupid Dash, Plano, TX
This was a cold, rainy morning but I had finally discovered, thanks to my sister, a lifesaver (or lung-saver) – a neck gaiter. It’s this wonderful, fleece contraption that goes around your neck and can be pulled up over your face as you run. Way easier than trying to keep your t-shirt over your nose as you run. So, neck gaiter in place, I arrived at the race super excited to try to beat yet another personal best time. But then….I saw my niece and friend arrive in the best Valentine’s race outfits that they failed to tell me about ahead of time. Seriously?! While they were running the race in awesome socks and pink tutus (tutus!), I was running in boring yoga pants and a t-shirt. Although, the t-shirt was one I had custom made and was pretty clever, I must say.
Since this was a Valentine’s race, what better way to start the race than to watch a marriage proposal happen live? As a single, former 2-time proposee (is that a word?), I had finally found the ONE thing that made me think, “I’d rather be running 3.1 miles than be standing here right now.” There should be a marriage proposal before every race…it would pump me up to get the thing started so I can get out of there. I unintentionally said aloud, “Ugh, really? Come on….” My niece looked at me, smiled and said, “Bitter?” Maybe…
Since this was a Valentine’s race, what better way to start the race than to watch a marriage proposal happen live? As a single, former 2-time proposee (is that a word?), I had finally found the ONE thing that made me think, “I’d rather be running 3.1 miles than be standing here right now.” There should be a marriage proposal before every race…it would pump me up to get the thing started so I can get out of there. I unintentionally said aloud, “Ugh, really? Come on….” My niece looked at me, smiled and said, “Bitter?” Maybe…
So, after the crying girl said yes to her new fiancé (*gag*), the race began. I did very well (for me anyway) during this race. Don’t get me wrong, I was still miserable after the first mile, but it was on my favorite, mostly flat course and I had good music to get me through. I beat my time by a landslide: 37:40, an entire 1:36 faster than my previous race. We celebrated with blueberry pancakes and bacon. It was a good day. J
March 31, 2012 – Firefly Run, Plano, TX
Best. Race. Ever. Not only was it a nighttime race, which meant not having to get up at 5:30am like most races, it was a glow-in-the-dark race. I LOVE themed races and this one took the cake. My niece ran it with me and we decorated ourselves with glow-in-the dark paint, glow sticks and glow-in-the dark tape. It was 82* that night but not humid yet. Before the race, the participants hung out on the lawn, dancing and just hanging out. For the first time, I didn't have race jitters.
There were 5 THOUSAND people at this race due to its popularity. I thought for sure I would have a very slow finish time because of having to dodge people left and right. But the adrenaline was pumping like crazy during this race and I finished my first mile in 10:00. I haven’t completed a 10:00 mile since I was, like, 12! I had to walk every couple of minutes, but when I would run, I could tell I was booking it. Thanks to my RunKeeper app on my phone, I was able to see that I was running an 8-minute mile when I was at full speed. Crazy fast for me. When I got close to the finish line and could see the clock in the distance, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. It said 35:30. What?! Seeing that time made me forget all about my lungs on the verge of collapse. I ran as fast I could for the last part of the race and finished in 36:08! Another 1:32 off my personal best, which meant another celebratory post-race meal.
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