My First 5k!

I did it – I completed my first 5k race on Saturday!  Since the weather has been in flux since I registered, I didn’t really get to train as much as I probably could have and I didn’t modify my diet at all.  Being my first timed, 5k race, I’m pretty pleased with my accomplishment!

Casey got back into town from his business trip in Virginia Friday night.  After dinner and unwinding a bit, we didn’t make it to bed until around midnight.  And then had to wake up at 4:30 to get ready before leaving for the 5k in San Antonio.  Brady woke up in a surprisingly good mood but ended up vomiting before we even hit Buda.  She’s been drinking milk and eating fish in the car and just doesn’t do well being in the car without enough on her tummy.  This is her third time getting sick (twice in the morning, once after she refused lunch) and it was a mess.  We ended up having to take her pjs off and she rode don to SATX in only her diaper.

The weather was supposed to have been sunny and in the 80s on Saturday, but it wasn’t.  We got to the UTSA campus (benefiting the alumni association) right at 7 for registration (tons of people there, apparently it was a record year).  After getting the BOB set up and Brady in her clothes (unfortunately I had planned on her wearing her pjs during the race but since they were covered with vomit, she was in a little short sleeved romper) and tried to cover her with a blanket (since it was 65 and overcast) but she wouldn’t have it.  Casey decided he didn’t want Brady out in the elements while I was running, so they stayed in the truck and watching Toy Story 3 and Gabba.  Thankfully, Meredith showed up to take pics so there’s evidence I actually did run and finish the 5k!  (Note to self – even if it’s overcast wear sunglasses.  That, or wake up an extra five minutes early and put on some makeup!)

Since I usually run with the BOB with a 32 pound toddler in it and in an area with lots of hills, I wasn’t sure how I’d do running on my own.  Obviously I thought I could do better running on my own, but I didn’t have any gauge as to how fast I could run or what to expect.  I ran with Adele and Christen who had both run 5k’s before and they agreed to stay with me and let me set the pace.  I think it was both a blessing and a curse that I don’t know my limits -blessing because I surprised myself but curse because I didn’t do very well at pacing myself.  From the get go I just started running.  Because of the hills, when I run at home, the most I’m able to run in one burst is about .60 miles.  On race day, I ran 1.5 miles straight, averaging a 10:00/mile pace!

The side cramps that plague me showed up around the 1.5 mile mark and I had to walk for a bit to stretch things out.  I battled the side cramps for the remainder of the race and alternated walking and running.  According to the Nike Run app, I ran a 37:03 race, but the picture tells a different story.  I’m still happy with a 38:36 (I can’t find where to locate the official time on the website, but I’m thinking that looks pretty official right there) or between 12-13 minutes for a mile, especially without really giving it my best effort!

Hopefully with proper training and maybe some diet modifications, I will do even better on my next race.  The Cap 10k (largest race in Texas) is coming up next month and I’m debating whether or not I’m capable of doing that.  I wasn’t completely worn out after 3.1 miles but I’m still recovering two days later so I can only imagine if I were to double my race length, I’d be hurting even worse.  I still have some time to decide but am still so unsure at this point what to do.