The First 5K…

Good news…I survived!!!!  It was really a lot of fun thanks to my girls that ran with me.  It was really quite surreal we were almost halfway through the race before it hit me that I was actually running a race.

Here’s a pic of us before the race.  They all had duct tape on them that said Team Emily.  Now that’s love!!!

The race went well, I ran the first mile, walked the second, and ran the third.  On of my sweet friends even carried my inhaler in her pocket.  Wouldn’t you know that my sinus infection would move into my lungs the night before the race…good times!!

Here we come…

Sweet B ran the whole way with me…I’m sure she was ready to take off and leave me in the dust, but a buddy was nice for the first run. 

KT came and gave me that “final push” I needed for the finish line…

It was a really great experience, and we are already picking out which race we want to do next!

First 5K Eve…

I just wanted to get some thoughts down tonight as I anticipate tomorrow’s race.  I’m not “nervous” per say.  I’m not worried about how much I will run, how much I will walk, how fast I will finish, etc.

I’m just ready for the first race to come and go.

I’m looking forward to it.  All of the clothes are laid out for the morning.  My number is ready to be pinned on my shirt.  Fresh socks are on top of my running shoes.  It’s more of an anticipated excitement that I’m experiencing.

I may have to walk more than I originally planned because of some cramping I’ve had in my right calf.  It’s really quite strange.  It happens about a mile in to my run, and I would say it’s a strip of my calf about an inch wide on the outside of my leg from my knee to my ankle.  It doesn’t hurt so bad that I can’t run through it, but it causes my ankle to roll to the outside.  I start walking when it happens because I don’t want it to make me fall and further roll my ankle.  It’s frustrating, but OK.  I would much rather avoid an injury and be able to continue running after the race than push it and become unable to continue running.

Well, it’s off for a good night’s sleep for tomorrow is race day!!!

The 5K Approaches…

My first 5k is only a few short days away, and I have mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand, I will be happy for it to come and go so I can have this first race “under my belt.”  On the other hand, there is this anticipation of the first race that will never be recaptured.  By nature, I am not a competitive person AT ALL, so I merely want to finish (and I’m not just saying that to sound humble). Here are my specific race goals:

1.  Don’t die.

2.  Finish.

3.  Run at least 2 miles of the race.

4.  Finish in under an hour.

Here’s my philosophy.  This is my first race, so I will be setting my official time to beat.  I am not a fast runner.  By not fast runner, I mean that your grandma probably walks faster than I run, and I am OK with that!  This is my starting point, and there is no where to go but up from here.  It is an exciting place to be!  This morning I ran 2 miles with no problem.  Tuesday I will run 3 miles, Thursday I will go back to 2, and the race is on Saturday.  Hopefully I will have some pics to post.  One of my friends who is running will be finished and have been to get a mani/pedi by the time I finish, so I know I will have support with cell phone cameras at the end!  I am running the race with 3 very dear friends.  2 of them I have been friends with since elementary school!!  One of the girls and I were laughing last night that we can run longer and faster now than we could in elementary school.  She was my fierce competition for last place in the yearly “fun run.”  My how times change (and yet stay strangely the same.)

Here’s to hoping that my final week of training goes without a hitch!  5K here I come. 

Before Pictures…

I feel weird posting these and calling them “before” pictures.  Right now, they are more like “current pictures.”  (Minus 20 pounds or so). 

So without further ado…here we go!

Sometimes when I look at these, I just can’t wait to see the “after pictures.”  One day at a time.  One choice at a time.

Updates for the new year...

I have made a few changes in my journey...
-I am using MyFitnessPal.com instead of Weight Watchers. It is just better for me and my schedule.
-I have signed up for my first 5k!! It's coming on January 28th. YIKES!!!

Things are going well. I maintained my weight over the holidays, which I think is a great thing. I am running 3 mornings a week. Once I get that "down pat," I think I am going to add in some strength training on the non-run days.

Blogger's not being very nice to me right now, so I'll try and upload some "before pics" a little later.