The 5K Experience

The OROC experience was great. I don't think we could have chosen a better race. It was for a great cause and it had the big city atmosphere. They had a pre race activities with music, speakers, and even jugglers. Then a ceremony for ovarian cancer survivors just prior to the race. Following the ceremony the music started back up.....'Ding, ding, ding.....LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!" Oh no they didn't. My already nervous tummy started doing flip flops and I was ready to go. All I gotta say is, thank God I used the porta potties not once but twice before the race. Shoot, I wasn't messing around. I wanted to be totally empty before going anywhere far from a toilet.

I don't think I had that type of anxiety since riding horses. It's not a normal anxiety/nervous feeling. It's hard to explain. I guess I'd have to call it my competition anxiety. The type where you know you've done all that you can do and prepared all that you could, it's just waiting for the time to come to be able to perform. So it's been awhile since I've had that feeling but I remembered it as if showing horses had happened just yesterday. Just get into my zone and get it done.

As the race started I just reminded myself to pace myself, even as people passed us. Then the first challenge surfaced. Uphill. And we're not talking small hill. I'm talking about the entire first half uphill. I'm not even kidding. Had to self-talk myself through that one. But that means the end was a downhill. And since the end was downhill, flat, then downhill again it was an "easy" downhill that wasn't too hard on my knees.

There were a few music groups throughout the course, which made the experience even better. The first musicians were a small group from St. Ignatius. They were playing "Hey!" I couldn't help but feel as though I was in the the Starbucks commercial where Hank is going in for an interview/presentation. Haha! The next musician was a bagpiper in full garb. He was awesome. We also passed him near the end of the course. Hearing the sound of bagpipes the second time was a relief. I smiled as I ran by and he even winked at me. Small gestures like that mean the world to you when you feel as though you're about to die.

I must say that I was surprised at the number of kids in the 5K but they were holding their own. Most of them weren't dressed accordingly and you knew they were obviously there just for the fun of it. Nearing the end of the race I decided to change my focus not so much on myself but on this 11 year oldish boy that was running near us. He'd run, walk, run, walk. Anytime he ran I could here some candy in his pocket jingling around. So as I stated, I switched the focus of my pain to focusing on keeping him motivated to keep going to the end. I'd say, "Come on boy, the sooner you get done, the sooner you get that candy in your pocket. You can do it." He'd just smile at me. And he made it.

At the end David decided to challenge the guy next to him to a final sprint to the finish. After they took off I focused in and my body kicked it up a notch. I don't think I've ever run that fast, even when I sprint to the finish on a daily run every so often. I could see the person ahead of me, which I had decided I was going to pass, and I could hear people yelling, but it was as though I was flying/gliding along with having an out of body experience. Whew! I was so in a zone that I totally forgot to stop my Garmin until atleast a minute after ending the race. Whoops.

The entire experience took the idea of the runner's high to a different level. Now, I know it's just a 5K and I've run the distance before but it's everything wrapped together....something for a good cause, somewhere different, and people yelling for you (including your loved ones and some that have never met you and never will). Just an awesome experience that is something I'll remember for a lifetime. In addition I've met a goal that I set for myself and then some. 4 months of running have gone by. I started this journey watching Erika working towards her goal. All I wanted to do was be able to run from my house to the end of the block and not feel like I was going to die. A 5K didn't even enter my mind. Then with the encouragement of those around me, I thought, "maybe. just maybe I could do it." I chose a race, signed us up, worked as hard as I could and the 5K arrived. We showed up and ran from start to finish with no stops. I think I can actually say I'm a runner now. Wow, it's amazing and I love it. There will be no stopping of this anytime soon. Now that I've got the bug, I want more. I'm already looking for our next race. I look forward to continuing to challenge myself to go longer and heck, maybe even faster. Thank you so much to all those around me for your encouragment and inspiration. From Erika's inspiring story, Jen helping me get started, David waking up with me every morning and keeping me going, my parents making sure that we got the right gear (even if it means paying them later), and both sets of parents waking up early and driving all the way to Cleveland to see us run past them for a few seconds. It means more than you know. This is not the end, only the beginning. And I can't wait to see what the next chapter brings.