Embracing The Turtle That Is Me

When I first started running back in 2009, I ran a 13-14 minute mile.  Now THAT's a turtle pace.  On my first 5K race, my pace improved a little bit, and I ran an 11:59 min. pace, finishing at 37:15!  As I ran more, my pace improved, a little bit each time:

1st 5K Race - March 2009
Scope It Out 5K

1st 5K race March 2009:  37:15 (11:59 min/mile)
2nd 5K race May 2009: not timed, ran pushing a jogging stroller, kicking myself for not getting it timed
3rd 5K race Nov. 2009:  37:03 (11:55 min./mile)

After a year long hiatus from running races....

4th 5K race Nov. 2010:  31:49 (10:14 min./mile)!!!

It's not super fast, I know, but holy cow, it felt HUGE!  I've wanted to run a sub 11 min./mile pace and I DID IT.

And then...

5th 5K race June 2011:  ran with friend at her pace (her 1st 5K!)
6th 5K race Aug. 2011:  31:25 (10:06 min./mile)
7th 5K race Oct. 2011:  28:27 (9:09 min./mile)

3rd 5K Race - Nov. 2009
Race for Breath 5K

That was my last 5K race as of today, and my PR!

How fast or slow a runner is is all relative.  I know that a 9:09 min./mile pace is still not fast compared to so many of my readers' 5K pace, but my point in posting all my 5K times to date, is to show (and to remind myself) that in time, a turtle like me, CAN break out of the turtle shell and eventually become a little faster.  You just need to be patient.  This is something I am realizing I'm not good at....being patient.  I need to be patient so that I don't get injured again.

4th 5K Race - Nov. 2010
Race for Breath 5K

I needed to look back to my turtle roots because this past Saturday, on my 10-miler, I was sooooo sloooow.  I ran 10 miles at an 11:59 min./mile pace.  Granted, there were a few hills, and I was pushing against a strong headwind for 1 mile at the end AND at Miles 8 and 7, but man, did I feel like a turtle with a capital "T."  It felt so discouraging.....10 miles in almost 2 hours!

Digging up my 5K race times helped remind me that I will get faster some day on my longer runs, and that I have come a long way from my 14 min./mile pace.  It's been a struggle, but I'm happy to have re-discovered my happy long run pace, an 11 min./mile pace for distances over 5 miles.  I am learning to embrace the turtle that is me.  I just need to keep going, to keep running, to stay smart when training to avoid getting injured, and I need to be patient.

Are there any 10 min./mile +PLUS runners out there like me?

6th 5K Race - August 2011
Sunrise Stampede 5K

7th 5K Race - October 2011
Heritage Hunt 5K

Family Run Day!

Sunday was a big day of running for me and my family! The hubs ran the Race for Hope 5K in the morning, and then the boys got to run the Kids' Fun Run afterwards.  I couldn't be any prouder of all my boys for doing their best and for enjoying their run!

Waiting for their Daddies to approach the finish line

I was on kid-duty and watched 5 kids during the race (2 of the kids belong to our friend).  The kids were amazingly well behaved during the race, and they helped me cheer the fastest runners to the finish line.  They were very excited about their race and wondered why they can't run the 5K with the adults.  "Well,.."  I explained, "if you run this (5K) race, you don't get a medal."  "Oh, I want a medal.  If I run, I want a medal," said my "I-don't-like-running-that-much" 6 y.o.  LOL!

Go, Daddy, Go!

The kids made signs for their Daddies and people got a kick out of them holding the signs up and chanting, "Go, Daddy, Go!"  They were so happy when their Daddies saw them with their signs.as they ran fast past us.  Love how kids like the littlest things!

Interesting things I saw:  One guy was running while holding the drawstring to his shorts up high! (Ow, um, wedgie, no?)  Poor guy!  It's awful when you have a wardrobe malfunction on race day.  I saw one guy completely barefoot, another guy running backwards, a bag piper, and a group of guys and girls (Army? Marines?) chanting throughout the entire course at a pretty fast pace!  Then there's this guy whom I see on lots of races - he's completely covered, head to toe in a tight/spandex fabric - at this race, he wore an American Flag theme.  What moves me is seeing all the brain tumor/brain cancer survivors running the race and a walker who carried a sign that said, "NEVER GIVE UP."

The hubs

This is the hubs!  Guess what??!!  He got a PR on this race!  I am SO PROUD of him!  His official time is:  21:45.  He's my biggest inspiration!  He had been working hard on getting his 5K PR.  YAY!!!!

After the 5K, the kids rushed to the Kids' Fun Run area.  They had an out-and-back little course and I parked myself midway to take pics.  The hubs and our friend ran with the kids.  The "I-don't-like-running-that-much" 6 y.o. announced that he was just going to walk.  Imagine my surprise and the amount of parent pride gushing out of me when I saw him running with all the kids!  I am SO PROUD of him for trying it anyway, doing his best and having fun!  The 8 y.o. loves to run, so he was in the lead pack running his heart out.  At the finish line, he complained that the course was too short!  He wanted to run some more!  LOL.  The 3 y.o. ran with the hubs.  He likes to run too, but I could tell that he was a little nervous about how crowded it was - there were a lot of kids.  The 3 y.o. tripped on his own shoes, lol!  He's such a funny little man.  Once he rounded that bend though and saw me wave, he took off with more confidence.

At the finish line!

LOVE LOVE LOVE that my kids like to run - even the "I-don't-like-running-that-much" 6 y.o. said he liked the race!  So proud of them!  This was their first Kids Fun Run and now of course they want to run more "races" so they can get medals!  LOL!

With runners' high, the boys feasted on ice pops, chips, and bagels.  You'd think they ran a marathon the way they were eating!  We had such a blast hanging out at the end.  It was weird to be at a race and not run it, but it was ok.  I had a long run planned later that day.

MY WEEKEND LONG RUN.  After digesting a huge lunch, I set out to do my long run of 6 miles later in the afternoon.  It was one of my best runs despite having to pull my running pants up every 1/2 mile which got really annoying (but YAY for getting smaller/losing weight!)!  I had a lot more gas in the tank at the end, though, but I was mindful not to up the miles too much that day.

I was inappropriately cheerful when I got home to post-race tired boys - I couldn't help myself!  So thankful for the great day!  I am pumped to run my 10K race next weekend.  A little nervous about the pressure I have on myself to PR, but I am just going to tell myself that it's another long run and to have fun.

why i run

The pain I felt from running that race will never compare to the pain you endured

while fighting that dreadful disease. (Race for Breath 5K Virginia Beach 2009)

I started running two years ago (January 2009) for my mom.  I lost my mom to lung cancer 3 months before that.  My mom never smoked a cigarette in her life.  While her passing was somewhat comforting because it  meant she was no longer in a lot of pain, I had a difficult time getting used to life without her.

The day I became a runner was when a very dear friend invited me to exercise with a group of moms who was training to run the Race for Hope 5K in Washington DC, a race which supports brain tumor/brain cancer research and awareness.  They were running as a team to support another friend who lost her father to brain cancer.  The thought of running just 3 miles was overwhelming to me then.  I was not a runner.  I hated running.  I dreaded those runs we had to do for Presidential Fitness Challenge in elementary school.  But the thought of running to support a fight against cancer never left me because I knew I wanted to do the same and run for my mom.  I needed to go through the challenge of learning how to run in order to cope with my loss and eventually to start healing.

Thus began my journey to run and to heal.  Inspired and encouraged by these moms, I took on the Couch-Potato-to-5K training plan challenge with one of my best friends and in two months, ran my first 5K race in DC for colon cancer - Scope It Out 5K - in memory of her mom who passed away from colon cancer.  Two months after that, I joined that same group of moms and ran the Race for Hope 5K in DC, pushing my then 1 1/2 year old son in a jogging stroller.  Finally the day came when my husband and I ran the Race for Breath 5K in Virginia Beach for Lung Cancer.  I was unprepared for the emotion that came over me like a waterfall right at the start line.  I didn't think I could start the race that was so important to me.  But I did. I ran and ran and ran with all my heart for my mom and kept running since.

These days, I still run for my mom and I also run for me.  Depending on the day, I run for many different reasons......

I run to fight cancer and honor lives touched by cancer on race days (Please visit my current cancer fundraiser HERE)
On other days, I run for the pure joy of it, because it makes me feel alive and free.
I run so I can watch the sun set and marvel at the colors it leaves behind.
I run to counteract the cookies I plan on indulging later in the day.
I run to see just how far I can go.
I run to play over and over, the memories with my mom.
I run to erase stress so I can go back to the day's or week's tasks, refreshed.
I run so I can be a better mom, wife, daughter, sister, and friend.
I run to vent frustrations, usually with a friend.
I run to watch butterflies fluttering to clear my running path (hello, mom!)
I run so I can think about what to do in my next art project.
I run to be inspired.
I run to find out where the miles will take me.
I run to hear my mom telling me to be careful.
I run so I can be faster (still working on this one!).
I run to feel that runner's high at the end.
I run because it is part of who I am now and because I can.

What about you?  Why do you run?