The Baltimore Women's Classic 5K
Awesome time today at the BWC 5k. My first 5K. Still can't believe I did it.
This 5K is run to help women with gynecological cancers. Being that I've had three, yes three, gyn cancer scares, I felt kind of close to this cause.
As well, this was the first time I've tested my burgeoning racewalking skills in a real life race.
Got up at 5am. I was nervous/excited about the race, so it was just as well that I got up on the early side. Grabbed my race number and pack and drove to Baltimore. I arrived at the race site (Baltimore Museum of Industry) at around 6:45. The place was already swarming with hundreds of racers, not to mention the vendors and race staff. I poured myself a cup of coffee and made a circuit among the vendors. About 20 minutes later, Beth and Rachel arrived. We kibbitzed until it was race time.
Lining up for the race start, we hung toward the back of the pack, because we didn't want to get in the way of any of the "runners". Although the race-starting whistle blew promptly at 8 am, there were so many participants that we walkers couldn't start until several minutes into the race. Finally, we were off. I told Beth I was going to walk to try to beat my personal best time, and so I pulled away from the little Pine Grove Middle School group and pressed myself to go as fast as I could.
I cried three times during the race. The first time, I cried for the purpose of the race, the difficulty that doctors have in dealing with gyn problems in general, and my little bout with infertility in particular. The second time, I cried because I was so happy that I was actually ABLE to do a 5K with dignity, not coming in last or having people be smarmy about my performance. I could not have done this 6 months ago. Well, maybe I could have, but I'd be walking at a leisurely pace pretending that it didn't matter that I couldn't move very well. The third time, I cried because I saw the finish line. And then I started running, and ran all the way in.
My time was 47 minutes and 36 seconds. A 15:30 mile. I have to say that I feel very good about that. When I first started out, I couldn't do any more than a 30:00 mile. And that's literal: I couldn't do more than 30 minutes on the treadmill at 2MPH. Now I've more or less doubled that time, or cut it in half,however you want to look at it. The long and short of it is that I'm MOVING TWICE AS FAST. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel.
Here's how it goes: whenever I do a race walk or work out on the treadmill, the first thing I do is gripe and complain because this or that hurts. As I start to walk, I feel myself resisting the effort, grumbling and complaining and hurting etc. But then I get to about the 10 minute mark, the endorphins kick in, and I start becoming one with the walk. I move perfectly in time with the music I've chosen, and in a couple of minutes it feels like it's not only natural to move, but the only thing I could have chosen to do. For a little while, it feel like it would be weirder NOT to walk than to walk in this race...like if I stopped, I'd be the lesser for it. So I just keep going toward my goal.
Songs that kept me going today:
"People Have The Power" Patti Smith.
"Only a Memory" Smithereens.
"All Because of You" U2.
"Plowed" Sponge.
"Rhythm of the Night" Corona.
"Breathe" The Prodigy.
"Born Slippy" Underworld.
"I'm Too Sexy" Right Said Fred. Don't laugh.
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" Jet
"Come Baby Come" K7
and, of course, coming over the finish line there was:
"Elevation" by U2. I couldn't have picked a more appropriate finishing song. I felt like I could fly when I crossed that line.
You have to understand that I have spent most of my life being out of shape, and a lot of the last four years being TERRIBLY out of shape. Most of my Eastern Shore friends only know me as a fat person...they've never seen me thin, or even just chunky. So no one expects me to be in shape, or to look good or sexy, or to be able to do anything physical, or able to BE anything except a great lump of a person. But since I've lost the weight, I have been surprising myself and others on a number of levels.
I'll write more later. I'm really tired.
This 5K is run to help women with gynecological cancers. Being that I've had three, yes three, gyn cancer scares, I felt kind of close to this cause.
As well, this was the first time I've tested my burgeoning racewalking skills in a real life race.
Got up at 5am. I was nervous/excited about the race, so it was just as well that I got up on the early side. Grabbed my race number and pack and drove to Baltimore. I arrived at the race site (Baltimore Museum of Industry) at around 6:45. The place was already swarming with hundreds of racers, not to mention the vendors and race staff. I poured myself a cup of coffee and made a circuit among the vendors. About 20 minutes later, Beth and Rachel arrived. We kibbitzed until it was race time.
Lining up for the race start, we hung toward the back of the pack, because we didn't want to get in the way of any of the "runners". Although the race-starting whistle blew promptly at 8 am, there were so many participants that we walkers couldn't start until several minutes into the race. Finally, we were off. I told Beth I was going to walk to try to beat my personal best time, and so I pulled away from the little Pine Grove Middle School group and pressed myself to go as fast as I could.
I cried three times during the race. The first time, I cried for the purpose of the race, the difficulty that doctors have in dealing with gyn problems in general, and my little bout with infertility in particular. The second time, I cried because I was so happy that I was actually ABLE to do a 5K with dignity, not coming in last or having people be smarmy about my performance. I could not have done this 6 months ago. Well, maybe I could have, but I'd be walking at a leisurely pace pretending that it didn't matter that I couldn't move very well. The third time, I cried because I saw the finish line. And then I started running, and ran all the way in.
My time was 47 minutes and 36 seconds. A 15:30 mile. I have to say that I feel very good about that. When I first started out, I couldn't do any more than a 30:00 mile. And that's literal: I couldn't do more than 30 minutes on the treadmill at 2MPH. Now I've more or less doubled that time, or cut it in half,however you want to look at it. The long and short of it is that I'm MOVING TWICE AS FAST. I can't tell you how good that makes me feel.
Here's how it goes: whenever I do a race walk or work out on the treadmill, the first thing I do is gripe and complain because this or that hurts. As I start to walk, I feel myself resisting the effort, grumbling and complaining and hurting etc. But then I get to about the 10 minute mark, the endorphins kick in, and I start becoming one with the walk. I move perfectly in time with the music I've chosen, and in a couple of minutes it feels like it's not only natural to move, but the only thing I could have chosen to do. For a little while, it feel like it would be weirder NOT to walk than to walk in this race...like if I stopped, I'd be the lesser for it. So I just keep going toward my goal.
Songs that kept me going today:
"People Have The Power" Patti Smith.
"Only a Memory" Smithereens.
"All Because of You" U2.
"Plowed" Sponge.
"Rhythm of the Night" Corona.
"Breathe" The Prodigy.
"Born Slippy" Underworld.
"I'm Too Sexy" Right Said Fred. Don't laugh.
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl" Jet
"Come Baby Come" K7
and, of course, coming over the finish line there was:
"Elevation" by U2. I couldn't have picked a more appropriate finishing song. I felt like I could fly when I crossed that line.
You have to understand that I have spent most of my life being out of shape, and a lot of the last four years being TERRIBLY out of shape. Most of my Eastern Shore friends only know me as a fat person...they've never seen me thin, or even just chunky. So no one expects me to be in shape, or to look good or sexy, or to be able to do anything physical, or able to BE anything except a great lump of a person. But since I've lost the weight, I have been surprising myself and others on a number of levels.
I'll write more later. I'm really tired.