Turkey Trot 5K

Just a couple of years ago, I wouldn't have believed you if you told me I would be getting up at 5:30 am to run on Thanksgiving morning. Thanksgiving consisted of sleeping in, overeating, and watching the Lions game. This year, I did none of the above.

I have really been working hard leading up to this race. I felt confident and was very excited about it. We picked up Michael on our way out of town, and were going to meet up with Vera, Aaron and Carolyn once we got there. Vera got pulled over, and apparently harassed the cop, so she and Aaron were later than expected :)

I started out the race feeling really good. The first mile went by quick and painless. I started to slow down during the second, and the third I just fell apart. I don't know what happened. There were a couple decent sized hills and they just wiped me out. The last quarter mile or so was downhill, so that was nice. Aaron came and ran me in at the end, and I swear I almost hyperventilated :) His slow is my fast. He finished in 23:something, which was about 10 minutes faster than the last 5K I ran with him! He's lost 50lbs since then and is really kicking butt. I'm very proud :) Greg also came and joined us near the finish line. It was like I had a couple of my own Richard Simmons cheering me on. So, I ended up finishing with my worst 5K time ever. I guess there's nowhere to go but up from here, right?

After the race, we went to IHOP for breakfast. Eggs Benedict baby!

another running revelation

in light of a recent discussion with a runner that i have just recently gotten to know, and already have great respect for, i have been rethinking my entire running outlook.

we were talking about how he is a time driven person, while i am not. my goals have always been just to finish. i realized i have become one of those people who gives everyone an "A" for effort (whether they deserve it or not), just so nobody gets their feelings hurt. i loathe those people. if something is worthwile, it's going to take work.

so i did an honest evaluation of myself. why don't i use time goals? am i afraid of disappointment? yes. am i scared of failure? yes. upon further review, i also discovered that because i never feel that i will be "good" at running, i haven't really been taking it/myself seriously. no comittment, no disappointment.

the conclusion.... just because i'm not fast, doesn't mean that i shouldn't work and push myself to be better. yes, my time goals may be laughable to some faster people but who cares. there is no good reason that i shouldn't set and work towards them. yes, there will be disappointments. get over it. keep going.

thanks kal :)

in the mood for change

I've been in one of those moods lately. I don't know what is triggering it, but I'm starting to get back into the mindset that I had back when I started running. I'm tired of the way things have been. I'm tired of being in a downward spiral and feeling like there's nothing I can do about it. It's time to take control again and shape up. No more blaming my issues on medical problems. No more excuses. My real moment of truth came the other day when I saw myself in a picture and hated what I saw. I'm finally healthy again, so I can run. When I started running in the first place, I used the word 'discipline' as my mantra. If I didn't want to get out of bed - 'discipline'. When I wanted to eat something I shouldn't - 'discipline'. It worked for me, and somewhere alone the line, I've lost that. I'm determined to make 2009 a year for change. I want to do a triathlon this year, as well as some road races with my running friends. I have found that runners are the greatest group of people around, and if I surround myself with them I have a much greater chance of reaching my goals. In general we all share the same struggles and victories. Other runners just "get it".
So, thank you to all the special people in my life who support, encourage, and give me a kick in the butt when I need it. I appreciate you <3