We decided to use the couch to 5k program, which I highly recommend if you are new to running. Especially if you don't like running but want to give it a go. I actually have the program on my iphone which makes it easier to keep track of, this is a great app if you have a smart phone.
In the past, before my first 5k I tried to use this program but never finished it. But this time we both finished the program and felt prepared for the race ahead.
The night before the race my best friend that was going to bring the kids to the race and watch them, got sick. Bummer. All the training and the excitement that we were going to race together started to diminish and with the reality of one of us having to drop out of the race imminent.
I didn't want David to drop out because this was his first race. I really didn't want to drop out because I had trained a lot better this time and was ready to make a new personal record. So we brainstormed and started calling friends. I always feel bad with last minute babysitting requests. But another dear friend of mine said she would watch them!! So no one had to drop out.
We didn't get to have the kids there at the race but in the end that was okay, it was nice to have that time as a couple.
Okay back to the race. When we arrived it was really really cold in between the city buildings downtown. Runners were huddling in the hotel lobbies to stay warm. My hands were like ice blocks and so were my legs!
When the race started David and I ran side by side. Before the race there was a lot of smack talk in our house about who was going to beat who. I'm not going to lie, when I was training I would visualize smoking David at the race, especially on cold January mornings! He was soo sure he was going to beat me. Before the race he even said that he wasn't sure if he wanted to run next to me because he didn't want to feel bad if he left me during the race. I told him "no worries, my love" if he had to leave me during the race I would not be upset.
The race itself was fun because throughout the course they had live bands playing and that was really neat and encouraging. Soon the time came where one of us fell back and the other was running strong...the strong one was me...he he he. When I rounded the corner to the finish line I had planned to sprint, so I started to sprint, but then that last bit seemed long so I slowed down, but then I saw the clock and was sooo excited and in shock that I sprinted again!!I did it!!! I beat my first 5k time. I had hoped to shave off 1 minute and 16 seconds to make my 5k time an even 30. I ended up shaving off 2 minutes and 63 seconds!! I improved my pace by 87 seconds.
David did an awesome job, and I am soo proud of him for running his first 5k. I hope that we get the opportunity again to race together. I will relish this time that I hold the rights of bragging!
Race stats:
Official time: 28.53
Official pace: 9:19
Age Category: 13th
