My dad is a runner. I remember him going for runs when I was younger. I remember the Oak Apple Run t-shirts he wore that he got running the local 5ks. He's even run the Detroit half-marathon, so maybe it's in my blood.
I ran track in the 7th grade. I hated it. I wasn't very fast, and the coach only wanted to work with the top 3 runners in each race. Everyone else was to run the straightways on the track and walk the curves. That got really boring, really fast.
Fast forward 20 some years. Every time I see a runner, I think to myself, "I wish I could do that." I wasn't sure how to get started, I don't know why I just didn't start. I guess I was afraid I would hurt myself.
When I was getting ready to move to Portland, ME, I started looking at hotels and apartments and I noticed that many places boasted "just minutes from Back Cove." I began to wonder what Back Cove was, so I Googled it. The first link that came up was a link for the Maine Running Company. They offered weekly 5ks at Back Cove-which turns out to be a 3+ mile loop running trail around a cove in Portland. The Maine Running Company also offers a weekly running training group with the intention of running a 5k. This sounded really good to me. A way to learn to run and meet people. I discussed it with DH and he thought it would be good for me too, so I joined.
The running workouts were sent to me via email and the group met once a week. It started out easy enough, walking and running, each week the walking got shorter and the running got longer. The longer the running got the harder it got. I thought I was going to die! My legs hurt so bad, it was awful. But, I was determined to continue. I decided that I would keep running until the 5k and then I would decide if I was going to keep running. I mentioned my leg pain the the trainer I was working with and she recommended that I get new shoes, I was wearing regular cross trainers.
What a difference new shoes made. I was still really slow, but at least I wasn't in pain anymore.
With new shoes and continuing practice, running got easier, and I was enjoying myself. I began to run the entire Back Cove loop without walking and that was really exciting to me, I felt very accomplished. I decided to run the Yarmouth Pumpkin Run on October 31.
My only goal for the race was to run the entire way. And that's what I did! I also caught a cold.
And, as it turns out, I was 5 1/2 weeks pregnant.
I thought that after I was over my cold, I would continue running. I asked a girlfriend, L, about her running while she was pregnant and she said that she ran until she was 28 weeks, so I thought I would try to do that,too.
But, the cold kept me from that. It took until January for me to be able to walk my usual running route without a coughing fit or two. So I decided to wait until after that baby was born to continue running. I walked most days up until the baby was born, but I felt guilty about not running until I was 28 weeks.
In the meantime, I made the decision to run the next Pumpkin Run October 30, 2010, the baby would be 17 1/2 weeks old. Because of the C-section, it took me a little longer to get back into running and I only had 4 weeks to prepare for the race.
Again, I thought I was going to die! I kept at it though and I knew it would be hard, but I felt I was able to run the race. I ran the course at Back Cove and was passed by a woman who was walking. It took me 47:42 to complete the loop, but I managed to run the whole time.
Race day came and it was very cold. I had the baby snuggled up in his jogging stroller and some girl friends, including L, came to run with me. It was a hard run, and I was very slow. I was so slow, in fact, that as I passed the direction signs someone from the race committee would come along, pick up the steak and toss the sign into the back of a pick up truck, that's right folks-I was last.
As I neared the end of the race, L, who ran ahead me of me came to run the end of the race with me and my two other friends ran up ahead of me. I came around the curve of the track and as I entered the chute to end the race I heard my friends cheering for me and I saw my husband (who ran with the dog) cheering as well.
I finished in 45:55, the last runner in my age group and the entire race. But that doesn't matter. Here's what matters:
I ran a 5k with only 4 weeks prep time.
I ran a 5k 16 1/2 weeks after having a baby, via C-section.
I want to keep running.
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