Couldn't Have Done It Without You!

I am not a runner.  I have said this before - it is not something I enjoy doing nor do I feel am very good at.  But, I like to set goals and push myself to reach them.

A year ago September, I set a goal to finish a 5k race.  This was only 10 weeks after Braden was born, so I knew that I would have to walk some.  I prepared myself as much as possible, and it was difficult, but finishing and celebrating the accomplishment with family and friends was amazing!  

The following spring my mom and I set out to tackle another 5k race on Mother's Day - the goal this time was to run the entire way!  We were both very proud of achieving that goal & improving our times.  

Unfortunately, I did not keep up with the training through out the summer.  So, when Katie asked me to run two races with her in the Fall I was a little worried.  I did as much training as I could and set a secret goal of trying to finish in under 30 minutes.  The first race I came so close, but I just slowed down too much in the last mile and couldn't reach my goal!  Quite frustrating - I had given up on myself.  

1. Race For The Cure -  34-35 minutes (B-tag didn't register the info)

2. Mother's Day 5k - 31.46

3. Great Island 5k - 30.46

For the last race Braden ended up joining us, so knowing that we would have to push the stroller along I had given up hope of reaching my goal.  But I should not have!  

We started off really strong - Katie pushed Braden for pretty much the entire race (thank you!).  We some how weaved the stroller through the beginning crowds, waited in line for the water, dealt with a wobbly stroller wheel & barely survived a huge hill towards the end!  When the last 1/2 mile came up and I wanted to slow down (give up) Katie was right there encouraging me and breaking down the minutes - telling me I could do this!  I really could not have reached my goal with out her support both in pushing Braden and encouraging me to keep up the pace.  

Of course the only photo they had was taken in the 1-2 minutes that I was pushing Braden.  Katie did all of the hard work!  I couldn't have done it without you - THANK YOU!

4. Great Bay 5k - 29.42

I am proud to say that I have continued running (although it is getting colder out, so may not last much longer).  I have begun the Bridge to 10K, so we'll see what goals will be set for the Spring!  

Mother's Day 5K

Before the race

Slugger & his Mom

My mom and I successfully completed the Seadogs Mother's Day 5k race in Portland!  The main goal for both of us was to run the entire race, which we both accomplished!  As a result our times were much better than the first race we did (in September) and we felt much better after this race.  It was also helpful to have Jon, Mike & Braden along the route to cheer us on.  They were able to make it to two different locations.  

The great thing about this particular race was that they had photographers in different locations, so we enjoyed searching through the photos!  I had fun celebrating my first Mother's day by accomplishing this goal with my mom.  We spent the rest of the day hanging out at home enjoying some lunch, playing games & taking Braden on a wagon ride.  Now, I just need to get back out there and keep up the running routine.  I might just have to sign up for another race to keep up the motivation...

The starting line - the two of us together!

Mile 2

The finish line

My Finish line video @ 5:30

Mom's Finish Line video @ 2:00

Sharon's Mile 2 video @ 14:33

Mom's Mile 2 video @ 4:21

Reaching Your Goals

     As I have mentioned in a few of my previous posts, I do not consider myself a runner.  I have NEVER liked running/jogging, even in high school when getting ready for a season.  But, two summers ago I found the "couch to 5k" program and decided to try it.  Whenever I attempted to do the program I would make it to about week 3 before stopping, either due to injury or lack of motivation.
      This summer my sister posted on Facebook that she was signing up for a 5k race, so I decided I would join her.  My thought was that having someone else to race with and actually signing up for the race would be the motivation I needed.  This of course all happened BEFORE I had Braden - what was I thinking?!  As a result, after my recovery period I really only had 4 weeks to train and get ready for the race.

     I was really dreading the race, because I did not feel like the training went well and I did not run or walk the week before the race.  But, I am happy to say that it went much better than expected.  I was happy to have completed the race and I was able to run more than I had to walk.  I am very proud of our little racing group.  We all accomplished the goals that we set for ourselves and it was awesome to share that with our little cheering squad: Mike, Braden, Jon and Eva!
     The only downside was that 15% of the B-tags did not register (which included myself).  So, my name and results were not able to be posted!  Call me crazy, but I guess I am just going to have to sign up for another race!

  

"When are you going to realize I am NOT a runner?"

This was my exact response to Mike last night when he said something to me about taking Sage for a run. Whenever he brings up running, my immediate response is "I don't run!". It is one of those things that I am not good at. It is uncomfortable (sometimes painful), and I just really do not enjoy it. Even with my involvement with sports in high school I always dreaded the long distance running days or the mile run for PE. Mike on the other hand, ran cross country and would often go for runs through college. As a result, I would never even dream of going running together - much too intimidating and not my idea of fun!

That is why I thought it was very ironic that I started a training program for beginning runners today. I just had open my mouth and give that response last night! The story is that I wanted to participate in the Weight Watchers Walk-It Challenge, but when I looked over the training it seemed too easy. As I mentioned before I have been walking on the treadmill, which is more of a workout than the "challenge" WW offered. So, I decided to look at the beginning runner program instead. I thought, why not give it a try and see what happens. Today's workout was not too bad, but the problem is that it involved very minimal running (7 minutes out of 31) and I was still in a lot of pain. I just never feel comfortable and relaxed while running. But, I am not ready to give up yet, and we'll see how things go. Maybe Mike's wishes will come true, and I will have to take back last nights statement (I have my doubts).