Couch to 5K
So my two main motivations, travel and running inspired me to write this blog, so my first 5k event on Sunday 28th September was pretty significant for me.
I had been in Kefalonia for a month, and picked up a chest infection, this meant that I was unable to train as much as I wanted to and really set my confidence back some notches. I was running 5k in around 50 minutes (a mix of running and walking). When training, you need to keep a regular routine and set goals, else you lose motivation and if you stop, even for a week, its like going back to the beginning. I felt like I was playing a game of snakes and ladders, only in my game there were more snakes!
I woke up on the morning of the event, and it was a glorious sunny day, perfect for running. Prior to this, we had rain and fog in the UK, so I think someone was looking down on me that day. I felt sick with nerves, and could only manage a small banana for breakfast and sips of water. I picked up my mum and went to Sutton Park. I was meeting my friend Josh there, an experienced runner in 5 and 10k events, so I felt that I was in good hands. I lost count of the times I needed the toilet that morning too.
Anyway, as we were stretching and warming up, my nerves started to melt away. Okay, I was never going to come first, but surely I was not going to come last either. As the clock counted down and the claxton sounded, the crowd of around 100 people surged forward and we were off.
The event was on a concrete path, and it was dry so the conditions were great for running that day. There were some small hills to climb but we tackled them, and I am proud to say that I ran more than I walked. We were told that there was an ice cream van half way. and when I spotted one I was so pleased I had made it, until Josh pointed out we had only been running 10 minutes!! So, I duly looked out for the next one and about another 10 minutes later we had reached the half way point.
During this stage of my running, I start to get a strange burning sensation in my calves. I have been told that its because I wear high heels too often and over the years my calf muscles have shortened. I walked for a little bit to recover and then took up a steady jog.
The spectators and event volunteers spurred us on along the way and kept up our motivation, we passed a couple of guys that told us we only had 1.5km to go, and my spirits lifted even more, I remember coming around the final bend and on to the home straight and I could see the clock at 37 minutes, my goal was to finish in under 40 minutes, so I found my second wind and pushed as hard as I could to finish. My final time was 38:30, okay not amazing but it gave me something to work with. I finished 31st out of 70 runners, and for me I felt on top of the world. I received a medal and a certificate and the knowledge I had competed in my first event, and I knew it would not be my last!
I had been in Kefalonia for a month, and picked up a chest infection, this meant that I was unable to train as much as I wanted to and really set my confidence back some notches. I was running 5k in around 50 minutes (a mix of running and walking). When training, you need to keep a regular routine and set goals, else you lose motivation and if you stop, even for a week, its like going back to the beginning. I felt like I was playing a game of snakes and ladders, only in my game there were more snakes!
I woke up on the morning of the event, and it was a glorious sunny day, perfect for running. Prior to this, we had rain and fog in the UK, so I think someone was looking down on me that day. I felt sick with nerves, and could only manage a small banana for breakfast and sips of water. I picked up my mum and went to Sutton Park. I was meeting my friend Josh there, an experienced runner in 5 and 10k events, so I felt that I was in good hands. I lost count of the times I needed the toilet that morning too.
Anyway, as we were stretching and warming up, my nerves started to melt away. Okay, I was never going to come first, but surely I was not going to come last either. As the clock counted down and the claxton sounded, the crowd of around 100 people surged forward and we were off.
The event was on a concrete path, and it was dry so the conditions were great for running that day. There were some small hills to climb but we tackled them, and I am proud to say that I ran more than I walked. We were told that there was an ice cream van half way. and when I spotted one I was so pleased I had made it, until Josh pointed out we had only been running 10 minutes!! So, I duly looked out for the next one and about another 10 minutes later we had reached the half way point.
During this stage of my running, I start to get a strange burning sensation in my calves. I have been told that its because I wear high heels too often and over the years my calf muscles have shortened. I walked for a little bit to recover and then took up a steady jog.
The spectators and event volunteers spurred us on along the way and kept up our motivation, we passed a couple of guys that told us we only had 1.5km to go, and my spirits lifted even more, I remember coming around the final bend and on to the home straight and I could see the clock at 37 minutes, my goal was to finish in under 40 minutes, so I found my second wind and pushed as hard as I could to finish. My final time was 38:30, okay not amazing but it gave me something to work with. I finished 31st out of 70 runners, and for me I felt on top of the world. I received a medal and a certificate and the knowledge I had competed in my first event, and I knew it would not be my last!
Comments
Post a Comment