Last weekend I ran the Kernersville Spring Folly 5K for the first time. Last year I had missed it, because I didn’t know about it. So when I showed up to the Y that day, they were packing up the race site, and I thought darn! Next year! And so it came around again… and while I didn’t really want to run a week after the hard half marathon effort, I thought “Just do it” 🙂 So I did.
J had to work, so I showed up early to drop the kiddos off at child watch. I wasn’t taking this race too seriously, so I didn’t really sweat it, just warmed up in the hallway with the kids. Also, forgot my iPod. No biggie! I did have my new Toolbelt Roga shorts from Oiselle on. They felt great! Since it wasn’t too warm out, I wore one of my race shirts from Raleigh Rock ‘n’ Roll.
I walked out to the race site and a small crowd was there. I figured 50 runners. The table of trophies probably had more than 50 trophies! I just knew I wanted one. When I ran in elementary school and high school, it was always ribbons/medals, never trophies. When I rowed on the Army Crew team, there were trophies… but I was never in a winning boat. I have lots of medals and zero trophies, so I wanted one purely for the sake of something new… something big. Something I had to earn.
We started out towards the end of the street, with a cop car blocking. No start/finish line, just a “here’s where we start, there’s where you’ll finish” pep talk. Had a bit of a false start when the starter-guy was explaining, “I will say ‘ready, set, GO!'” The kids in front of me took off. My first instinct was to start running too, and I started my watch. Oops! I knew I had to subtract 5 seconds off my time when I was done.
We started a few minutes after 8:30. It felt nice and cool, and I trotted along behind a 10-ish year old boy. I tried to not go out too fast. I told myself not to look at the watch but just enjoy running in a familiar place. It was hilly, but I run here nearly every Saturday, so I’m used to it. Soon enough, we were at the turnaround!
I wanted to speed up on the way back, so I worked on passing a few folks. There was more uphill than downhill though, so I went chug-chug-puff-puff (borrowed from The Little Engine that Could, one of Asher’s current faves, lol) up that last hill. At the bottom, I allowed myself to look at the watch. It was approaching 23 minutes. Oh snap! If I hurry up and get this last 0.1 of a mile in less than 30 seconds, I have a new personal best!
You better believe I hustled to the finish 🙂 I could barely breathe. I knew I had given it my all at the end, but wasn’t sure if I had a bit more I could have eked out during the race. A girl came in right behind me and said good job to me. I told her good job back, and thought–she was so close! She almost caught me, turns out she was 8 seconds behind. But I got 2nd place. I could see a 12 year old girl had been in front of me a ways. I didn’t care… 2nd place is awesome!! I waited around to cheer others in, then stretched and walked back to the parking lot. Had a little snack while I was waiting for awards:
Running makes me run-gry. Lol.
Dang I was excited for my trophy! Official time was 23:31. Getting closer to the sub-23 goal!
Here’s my stats from the Garmin:
After subtracting the 5 seconds from our false start, I had a 7:11 first mile?! Holy %$#! If I could keep that pace up…. I’d have a… [Nerd alert while I do some math!] 22:16, roughly. Dang, that would be sweet. And it’s totally within my reach. I can tell I have rounded a corner, or reached a new level, with my running. What used to feel hard now feels easy. I don’t know if it’s the foam roller, adding mileage, eating well, or just being consistent… or something else entirely. But I feel so strong, and so grateful for what my body is able to accomplish. I love running because it allows me to love me for exactly who I am. No more beating myself up for something stupid I said, or a bad decision, or my “thunder thighs” or big nose, or whatever it was I hated about myself at the time. Running lets me feel comfortable in my skin, and feel like I can do anything I set out to do. This is why I try to convince others to run. I tell people, for me it’s not about the physical benefit (although that is great!) it’s more about the mental and emotional benefits. Accepting myself. Having a good level of self-esteem and self love. Working through problems, decisions, and emotions. Wow I digressed, but I wanted to share. If I help one person, it will have been worth it.
So, I picked up the kids and headed home. Gabe was overwhelmed with joy by my trophy.
I hope I set a good example for the kids. Because dammit, I love them so much. I want them to be proud of their momma. Whether they follow in my footsteps or not, I want them to know how much I love them and want the best for them. I told Javi, running helps me to stay calm (because Lord knows I need it with 3 boys! haha), and to be a better momma.
Speaking of mommas, the next day (last Sunday) was Mother’s Day.
I woke up at 8:00 (big time sleeping in for me!) to this:
I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but my husband is downright amazing. I felt soooooo loved. Especially with the Tiffany’s boxes 🙂 He bought me the pearl earrings and matching necklace that I have wanted for years. I am spoiled. Thank you, my love!!!
After that, I said I wanted to go hiking as a family. We explored a new trail (offshoot) at Salem Lake. Had a great time!
Other fun things from the past week:
So grateful for all of this. May we all have thankful hearts, every day <3
Thanks for reading!!
xoxo,
V
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