Remember that time I couldn't finish that 5K? No, not that time, the other time. It's true. Way back in the day, before the girl was born (but after the boy), I attempted a couple of tiny little 5Ks, and I couldn't finish them. I went too slowly and gave up pretty soon after the races started. I didn't want to be the slowest and the last. And the police who followed the end of the racers didn't want to wait on me.
Now, back in the day, I could do a 5K any day of the week. When I lived in Texas, I did a bunch. They were very walker-friendly and so I wasn't the slowest (or the fattest).
Having kids changed my body. Wussing out on those 5Ks brought that reality into painful focus. I could no longer just throw down a quick (45 minute) 5K. Everything had shifted and I was simultaneously weaker and stronger.
I still have not successfully completed a 5K since I had kids, and I have serious doubts that I will ever be able to. I have, however, completed a 10K. In my weird little head, this makes complete sense. I can't finish a 5K so I'll just do a 10K instead. 3.1 miles is as unpossible as failing English. 6.2: totally doable.
SuperHusband and I did the Peachtree Road Race together this year which completely counts as a romantic date. On July 4th of this hot, hot year, we walked through Midtown Atlanta together. And it was awesome. For two hours, we talked and took water from strangers and ran through sprinklers (me!) and avoided sprinklers (him). He did the race last year and so it wasn't as big a deal to him. Me? I freaked out and almost quit about 37 times before we began.
Here's what I learned:
1. The Peachtree is very walker-friendly.
2. That 91 year old who was walking ahead of us is a beast.
3. It is less fun to walk past the Barnes and Noble in Buckhead than it is to go there on an adventure with Tamara.
4. Mile 3 is a hill. The whole mile.
5. Walking past the Cheesecake Factory plays a significant role in future dining selections.
6. The Peachtree needs shuttles from the finish line to MARTA stations- that extra 2 miles of walking was complete unnecessary.
7. I can do a 10K
It's an interesting experience. I certainly wasn't the fastest but I wasn't the slowest either. I wasn't the fattest, I wasn't the oldest. My feet got sore but not my legs and not my back. I was tired but not dead.
We signed up for another 10K in October. Hopefully that one won't make me dead either.
YAY. congrats on doing a 10K. I never have but I have surprised myself in the past by doing some good 5ks. I couldn't even run a mile in high school without stopping half way through and having a crazy asthma attack... Now I can RUN the entire 5k without stopping and make pretty decent time.
ReplyDeleteAlso I was just down there in May to see The Bloggess at that Barnes and Noble I think. I see you like her too... Did you go? Maybe I saw you there. I had the black and pink dress on.
Hey! Yes, I went to the book signing with my pal, Tamara. It was sooooo crowded! We may have seen each other. I was the one holding a pink box of cupcakes that I gave to the Bloggess when she signed my spatula.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment <3
~mlb