I Did It…My First 5k!

/

Four months ago, I never dreamed that I would be running in an official 5k race in December. Since having Ridley almost two years ago, I’ve struggled a lot to get this ridiculous weight off. It’s literally been a thorn in my side. {rolls eyes}

I’ve struggled with my health in the last 7 months.  From a horrible staph infection in my leg, to gall bladder issues, thyroid issues, wacko hormones after weaning Ridley and colds, a stomach virus and bronchitis, it’s been really rough for normally-healthy-me.

I’m so thankful for my wonderful naturopathic doctor who has helped me shake off mental and emotional issues that I’ve carried around for years. I’m thankful for the physical help that she’s given as well.

I’m also thankful for the unending love and support from my amazing husband as he encourages me daily to eat right and exercise. I’m still not where I want to be, but I have hope that one day I’ll get there.

I’m thankful to Jackie, my fabulous running buddy, who asked me if I wanted to run with her three months ago. My life changed at that moment…I’m so blessed. We are a good pair. Our stride, endurance and drive are very similar which makes being running buddies just the bomb. When I want to quit {or walk} Jackie encourages me to keep going and to breathe.

And I’m thankful to God who literally empowered me to accomplish this goal.

On Saturday we ran in the Frosty Freeze 5k.

As we turned the corner to the last stretch of the race, I started to get really emotional.  2010 has been a rough year physically, but during the last month of the year, God was allowing me to meet a goal that I’d only dreamed of. The verse He gave me for this race was Isaiah 40:31:

They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

My husband finished in just over 21 minutes and he came back to run in with Jackie and me.  We crossed the finish line at 31:28!!!  I was so thrilled because I just wanted to beat 35 minutes!

Photobucket

Immediately after the race when I’m just realizing how much pain I’m really in.

Photobucket

My two wonderful supporters

I have to add that my Mom and my sister Kelly have been a huge support as well.  I’m so thankful for all the wonderful family and friends who love me, pray for me and support me.

Photobucket

I {heart} this girl!  🙂

Photobucket

I had to sit down because my left leg felt like it was going to fall off.  And of course, I had to tweet and facebook from my phone! 🙂

We have two more 5ks in the next two months. I’m excited to set new goals and trust God to help me reach them!

Have you ever run a 5k, half-marathon or marathon?

47 Comments

  1. Congratulations on completing your first 5k. What an amazing accomplishment! Especially after a year of physical hardship. You should be really proud of yourself!

    Keep with it and each race will get easier and easier. I promise.

    I’ve run several different races, 5k, 8k, 10k, 10 miler, but the big one is coming up next month. The DisneyWorld marathon. Eeep!

    Best of luck with your two upcoming races!
    alison´s last blog post ..Is There Anything More Photogenic

  2. Cangrats….. what a great acomplishment
    After my 5k I went on to do full marathon and several halfs. right now I enjoy the halfs but I walk the.

  3. Congrats!! That’s a great time for your first 5K!! You should definitely be patting yourself on the back ! 🙂

    Did my first 5k at age 39 after 3 kiddos. It IS a very empowering and emotional thing. Makes ya feel like you can take on the world, no?! 🙂

  4. How amazing! I would love to run a 5k! Yay for you! I have a friend who ran a 26 mile marathon last year in less than 4 hours! Shw swears that running is addictive! Keep it up! You look beautiful!

  5. Congratulations!
    I just ran my first 5K this past May, 36:43. I have never been a runner, and am still not a runner, but I made that accomplishment – I ran the whole 5K. I had some leg trouble right after that, and haven’t been able to keep running, mainly weather related, cause I am NOT going to get up before my hubby leaves for work to run, and it had been too hot in the evening, now it’s too cold. I workout at Curves, but I’m definitely just a “fair-weather runner” – I hope to do that 5K again next year though, and being “not a runner,” I wouldn’t consider anything wrong with walking part of it if I was not able to train good enough leading up to it. Although I’d feel GREAT to be able to run the whole 5K again!

  6. Congratulations and that is a great accomplishment considering all you have been through. Here’s to hoping for a wonderful 2011 and more running and good health. 🙂

  7. Wow, what an accomplishment. Back in high school, which was a long long time ago, I walked a couple of 5k’s. I’ve never been a runner, and usually joke that the only time I would run was if zombies were chasing me. Exercise is so good for you though, both for your physical and emotional health, it’s good you are taking this time to take care of you.
    Lorna´s last blog post ..Everyone Loves Free Stuff

  8. I am so proud of you!
    MANY years ago I ran a 5 mile and several 5k races and I always enjoyed them–even though I didn’t train and had horrible times!
    I also walked 26 miles one year to raise awareness for suicide prevention. If it hadn’t been for a cause near to me I don’t think I could have finished, it was hard!
    I did a 5K this summer, but I walked because I was pregnant…and old. My goal was to finish in under an hour and I finished in 59 minutes 🙂
    Tracey´s last blog post ..Christmas Photo Cards

    1. @Dawn, Thanks for your comment Dawn. My running buddy and I trained for the most part outside at a track that had hills and flat areas. When it started getting dark early we began running on treadmills at the gym. One week before the race, we ran outside and felt awful. In just a short amount of time we could tell a huge difference between how our bodies handled running outside vs. inside.

      Keep up the good work girlfriend! 🙂

  9. I ran my first two this summer. I loved it! Then I got pregnant and haven’t felt the energy to run a whole 5K. But I’ve got a race penciled in for next October…here I come!
    Great job! Meeting your goals is such a great feeling!

    1. @Tara @ Unsophisticook, Thank you Tara for your sweet comment! 🙂 My running buddy and I started running together about 3 months ago. We ran at a circular track at a local ballfield. We clocked out the distance with a GPS and slowly (week by week) added “laps” to our run until we were running at least one 5k each week for the last few weeks leading up to the race.
      It was was imperative that I have a running buddy….without her I would have miserably failed. I needed the encouragement and accountability to keep going.
      Anyway, that’s a short summary of how we trained. 🙂

  10. Good for you, Myra! Congratulations!!!

    I started running Couch to 5K at the encouragement of my workout buddy. I finished, no one else did, including my WO buddy. And I was the only one to run a 5K. Here’s the link to my blog post about it … http://kimberlysperspective.blogspot.com/2010/05/i-did-it.html.

    It was a wonderful experience. I’ve gone on to run 3 more – my last being in September when I had a personal best time of 29:59.3. My husband had challenged me to run the whole thing (no walking) and to finish under 30 minutes. And I did it! Nothing like a challenge to make you kick it up a notch!

    I’ve really come to enjoy running and plan to continue to do so. I have found that I much prefer running outdoors to the treadmill. But with a few inches of snow on the ground right now, it might be a while before I get to do so. 🙂 So I’ll just have to tough it out on the treadmill.

    Keep up the great work! I look forward to reading more about your experiences with running!

    God bless!
    Kimberly´s last blog post ..My Baby Turns 5!!!

  11. Wow…that is awesome! Congratulations on taking the steps to get up and get moving. You are such an inspiration. I will pray for you!

  12. Congrats! I just did my first 1/2 marathon last April (5 months after my baby was born). Then I tried a triathalon and now I’m hooked! I did 3 tris this summer and can’t wait for next summer.

    Praise the Lord for your victory!

  13. that is amazing!!!! I am so proud of you! What a great encouragement to get off my bum and get in shape. Thank you so much for all of your fabulous posts!

  14. First and Foremost Congrats on your first race. Secondly I wanted to tell you how much I love reading your blog. You are so positive and uplifting. Thank you so much, and congrats again.

  15. I can’t remember if I’ve left a comment for you before, but I definitely want to give a big cheer for this accomplishment. I’ve been reading a while and your blog really blesses me!

  16. WOO HOO! Congratulations!! It is a great feeling to finish isn’t it? I have run 4 half-marathons and am waiting to run a full. I keep getting injured during training, so need to come up with a different plan. It is a great goal to set though, can’t wait to watch you do more!

  17. Yeah! Congratulations! It takes lots of physical work and mental determination to do this. Great job!

    It has been since BB (before babies) since I actually ran a 5K. I’ve had some back issues this year, so I have been walking and working out to help strengthen my body. I need to do a 5K this year. I dream of doing a 1/2 Marathon before I turn 40 (20 months), so I better get moving.

  18. Congratulations Myra! 🙂 I run a 5K once a month. I got up this morning to run the monthly 5K at 8:00 am. At 6:18 am I found out that is has been postponed until next Tuesday. I got all pumped up for nothing. 🙂

    You did great!

    Blessings,
    Kristine
    Kristine´s last blog post ..Whats Cheap Today

  19. MYRA!

    I finally checked out your blog today (thanks for the super spiffy card) and was *SO* encouraged by reading this! God certainly did renew our strength that day…

    I have been extremely blessed by our runs these past months too. More than just vanquishing my everyday stress or getting in shape, I have been tremendously touched by your love for God, endurance & dedication, prayer, and friendship.

    I’ve loved every minute of this challenging season with you, girl!

    Jacks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I accept the Privacy Policy

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.