This entry isn't a crafty one...but it is about one of my 'adventures'. An adventure into the world of running.
I definitely don't consider myself a runner what-so-ever. It all started last year when I decided to run my first race, a 10K, at the annual Dash for Dad in Alexandria, VA. I was running in honor and in memory of my dad, who passed away in June after battling prostate cancer. I got myself an awesome pair of sneakers and started practicing. I didn't start training until July, which was only running between 15 and 20 minutes three days a week. The most I ran during my practices was maybe three miles and a 10K is 6.2 miles. And I didn't run the entire time, I usually walked.
The race day finally came, and I was very nervous and anxious. I didn't know if I was going to be able to finish it. But I just kept thinking of my dad and everything that he went through to fight the cancer. All the chemo treatments, surgeries, hospital stays, and doctors visits. I had my ipod playing during the entire race, and I put songs on there that my dad loved. Every time one of those would come on, it made me want to keep on going and it put a smile on my face. To me, when those songs came on, it was my dad's way of saying 'keep going Heather...you're crazy for wanting to run 6.2 miles, but you can finish!'. And I did finish. I finished in 80 minutes and 35 seconds. And I didn't run the entire thing. It was a combo of walking and running, which I call 'wunning'. I felt really good after finishing and I was proud of myself. Jeremy and Elysia (Ox) also ran the race too. Of course, Jeremy kicked our butts, but he is a runner. Ox and I didn't start running until after we signed up for the race, but we still did it and we finished. Here are a few pictures from the Dash for Dad 2009 10K.
Well, the wunning continues in 2010. Ox and I, along with her brother CJ, ran a 5K last Saturday. I wasn't prepared for this at all. I figured I would walk the whole thing, since it was a run/walk. Well, the race started, and Ox and I stayed together. We ran the entire first mile in 11 minutes and 35 seconds (we both usually run a mile in a little over 12 minutes). After the first mile, we separated, but still kept up with one another. By the middle of the second mile, my legs were exhausted, so I walked a little then would run a little. And I just continued doing this until the end of the race. Near the finish line, I could see Jeremy, Elizabeth and CJ (he finished before me). As I was getting close to the finish line, I saw the clock and I was excited. I was going to finish in under 40 minutes. And I did. I finished the 5K in 39 minutes and 38 seconds. Here are a few pictures from the Main Street 5K. Yes...Ox and I are matching and we are wearing our Dash for Dad t-shirts.
So the next race I have planned is a 5K in June and the 10K in September. I'm hoping to find some other ones during the summer to help keep me practicing. I'm hoping to improve my endurance and my time. I want to run an entire race and keep a consistent mile. I'm running to get myself into better shape, get my heart healthy, and to make myself feel better about exercise.
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