My First 5k

I must admit I was terrified when I heard that my company was signing up for the Sigma Corporate Run. I was never an active child, preferring the company of a book in a quiet corner to the fields of sport. I didn’t do so well in high school PE either, pretty much failing my way through, what with my clumsiness and laziness. I call myself a professional spectator, watching other people sweat and kill themselves while I cheer/yell from the couch.

I worried a lifetime of sedentariness would come back to haunt me, especially as I didn’t even begin to train for the event. But come race day, I was psyched and ready for action. My only goal was to finish on my two feet, not laid up in one of the ambulances there to take care of the sick and unfit. I didn’t plan to finish dead last, either!

I didn’t have any kind of strategy in mind as the group of walkers (what, you thought I ran??!!) set off to a house version of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’ (I kid you not. KMT!). I had a walking partner, a friend of a friend, and she helped me keep pace. I tend to walk kind of fast naturally, so I was able to maintain a brisk rate throughout. I didn’t stop once, never cramped up or felt unable to continue. I told myself I could finish in under 90 minutes and that’s exactly what I did. I finished in just over an hour – 1:02:56, to be exact. AWESOME!!!!!

There were a couple times on the route that looking at the sea of people ahead of me was kind of intimidating, but I found myself wondering how many of them I could pass on the way. I began to target people – the little old ladies (come before me? Never!), mothers pushing babies in strollers (ditto), kids (no matter how much energy y’all have today, I’m passing you!!) and JPS and Student Loan Bureau workers (bun a fire!!!!) At the 4k mark, I got a sudden burst of energy and started going around the slowpokes and several of the people in the above categories.

As we came off Ruthven Road unto Half Way Tree Road and I could almost see the end, I sped up even more but, unfortunately, so did everybody else. Some of the people I had passed power-walked past me, including folks from the much-hated SLB, but I was undaunted. I had the finish line in my sights. I rank the moment I crossed it, arms outstretched like I had won the danged thing, right up there with my college graduation. I am extremely proud of myself and I wear my souvenir Sagicor ‘Finisher’ dog tag with all the pride of an Olympic gold medal. I earned it!

Of course, by the time I got home, all the tension had set in, meaning everything on my body that can hurt is still in pain.

This event marks a turning point for me. I actually dragged my aching bones out of bed at 6:15 this morning to walk and I must admit, after a rough patch, I felt pretty dang good! I’m going to use this momentum to kick-start Project Summer Body 2013, see how many of this extra poundage I can shed and clean up my eating habits, as I had pledged to do for my New Year’s resolution. I’m also thinking ahead to next year’s event. I’m not too keen on running, but I should be able to start jogging by the end of March (p-a-c-i-n-g myself). If I’m at the place I hope to be by then, I’ll definitely be taking my place on the left side of Knutsford Boulevard, heading north. The runners totally got the better music anyway, leading off to ‘Party Rock Anthem’!

Oh, and Reggae Marathon 2012 (ok, 10k. Not pushing it!), you're in my sights, too. Who's with me?

(Photo by Keresa Arnold, who insisted I credit her. Happy now, miss?)