I did it! My first 5k.

[HappyAnika]

Saturday I ran my first 5k and met my goal of finishing without walking in under 42 min. Before Saturday the furthest I’d ever run was 2.5 miles. My time was 37:55, which may sound very slow to some of you, but I’m happy with it, given my history with running . . .

Growing up I was the fat kid with asthma and allergies who couldn’t run and sucked at all sports, always the last chosen for a team in PE, frequently ridiculed for my inability to catch/throw/hit, etc. I hated PE, absolutely HATED it. As I got older I learned how to use my asthma as an excuse to get out of doing as much as I could in PE. Running hurt. It hurt my legs and it most certainly did hurt my lungs, even when using an inhaler, so after high school I didn’t run for years. I did, however start doing other exercise, like weight lifting and aerobics. In 1999 I tore my ACL, MCL, and medial meniscus in a ski fall, resulting in 2 surgeries a year apart. As part of my recovery I got serious about working out, and tried running, but it still hurt, both the lungs and the legs – specifically the knee, so I still avoided running. Over the years I’ve developed some problems with my “good” knee, likely as a result of having a “bad” knee, so now they are both problematic and they protest running. I’ve had periods of time where both knees felt good and started building up some running fitness, but then the knees always act up and I go back to other things. Our friends, and DH, are all into running and cycling and duathlons and triathlons, with ever increasing intensity, and its always made me feel like a slob for not participating. So last January I decided to make it a New Year’s resolution to run a 5k this year. I had my sights on one in June because a lot of the course is on knee-friendly dirt and June is typically very nice weather (no snow, no 100+ temps). However the knees were not happy in the weeks leading up to it and after telling everyone I was going to run it, I didn’t, which made me feel like a total looser. The only way I could make myself feel better was to concentrate on all of my cycling achievements (just started cycling in April). By the end of the summer my knees were feeling better so I tried running occasionally and decided that I would consider running in this 5k if my knees held up. I went ahead and registered, but I didn’t tell anyone except DH in case I wimped out again at the last minute. Then I got sick, a nasty sore throat that kept me from getting any exercise for a week and a half during the 2 weeks before the race. So I considered dropping out, but by the Wednesday before, I was finally feeling better and decided to go through with it. Saturday morning comes and I’m terribly nervous. Two of my girlfriends are going to run with me, one of which is getting to be a very accomplished runner and could run circles around me, but she decided to keep it low key this day and stick with the two of us slow pokes. Standing at the start I felt like I wanted to back out, and asked “Why am I doing this? I hate running.” I had my ipod strapped on playing my freshly created running playlist for motivation, so I didn’t even hear the starting gun, I just started running when the people in front of me did. Next thing I know, here I am, running . . . in a race with other runners . . . no way, I don’t belong here. I found my pace and my friends stuck with me. Then we turned the corner and saw the dreaded hill, the one everyone talks about when they talk about this race, and it was nothing! Hill? Pssshh, it was a tiny bump. When I got to it, I took off with extra effort, just like I do on my bike, and I was at the turn around point in no time. We re-grouped, then continued on. Then in the last mile the pain started to set in, “Ow, how much further? Can I PLEASE stop, just for a second?” “No, must . . . keep . . . running.” Then finally we round a corner and I see the track where the finish line is. At this point my superstar running friend is directly in front of me and I’m imagining that she’s pulling me along. Then we round the final corner and I pick up my pace, I’m going to make it! I hit the track and break out into a sprint all the way to the finish line. Then it hits me again, the pain, pain in the lungs, a little in the knee, but its ok now, because I’m done! I did it! I finished. And why did I do it? Because it had been haunting me my whole life, but no more! Demon be gone!

Ok, so now I know it is indeed physically possible for me to run 5k, which is good since that’s how far the run is in the triathlon I want to do next June. Thanks for listening. I’m off to work on my swimming . . .

[Bikingmomof3]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[emily_in_nc]

Congratulations! I can imagine how wonderful that must have felt!!!

I was just like you growing up, 'cept I was the pasty, skinny girl with asthma and allergies who often missed 40 days of school in a year because I was so sickly (thank goodness I was smart or I never could have kept up). I was a terrible athlete, picked last for all teams, hated gym with a passion and figured out a zillion creative ways to get out of it.

Fast forward to now...thanks to being married to a wonderful man to whom athletics always came easily (he played baseball and ran track as a kid), I've become an "athlete" myself -- road cycling, mountain biking, doing long hikes, kayaking, and yes, even running! I am up to 2.5 miles at about an 11-minute mile pace. Slow and short, yes, but to me, it means the world since I could barely run the 100 yard dash as a kid! And it's even more meaningful since I fractured my ilium in 2005 and had to have surgery to put it back together (have a 6" metal plate in my pelvis plus four pins, couldn't bear any weight on that side for 2 months, etc. etc).

So I could totally, completely relate to your 5K report. A million congratulations, and YOU ROCK!!!!

Emily

[Tri Girl]

Congratulations!!!!!

I remember my first 5K (and my time was almost exactly the same as yours), and I remember how exciting and powerful I felt! You did it!!! I'm so very proud of you!!!

Now, just imagine in a year or two you'll shave 5, 10, 15 min. of that 5K time... you can do it!!!! And even if you never shave a second off your time, it's all about completing and the joy you feel from the accomplishment!

Congrats!

[tygab]

Congrats to you as well! It is always an accomplishment to do something you were wary of and you see that you can! I am hoping you'll keep us posted on your tri progress - you can do it!

I also can relate to the frustrations with knee injuries/recovery, I am a 2x veteran of ACL surgery (same knee 2 yrs apart) but from Tae Kwon Do. It's now 5.5 years since my last one, and I still think my legs are not equal strength but the biking has helped a lot - both my quad muscles are gaining strength now which is very good for knee stabilization. It may also be why I unclip left instead of right but who knows...

[colby]

GREAT story, Annika! You did awesome. Congratulations!!

[light_sabe_r]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! You're inspirational... (realises it's time to get off my lazy arse and do some running)

[Offthegrid]

Great job! You did it! And 37 minutes is a great time.

[HappyAnika]

Thank you ladies! I really appreciate the support and encouragement.

Emily, that's great you are giving running a go after growing up as a non active kid, and especially after the surgery and hardware. Its amazing to me how my outlook on exercise has changed being an adult and concerned about my health and body mechanics.

Tygab, its funny I clip out on the right even though that's the knee I had surgeries on. I was a little nervous about it when I first went clipless, but I just feel like I am completely uncoordinated on the left side and I would never get out in time. Luckily its been ok on the knee, I just keep my pedals as loose as they can be and try to do as much work with the ankle as I can.

Thanks again everyone!

[kaybee]

Great job! I can totally understand why you did it -- gotta exorcise those demons and move on. I could have been you as a kid -- minus the asthma and allergies! I have the allergies now. I also tore an ACL a few years ago, but running has never bothered that knee -- it's the OTHER knee that complains sometimes. Keep us posted on your continued training. I predict a 10K in the not-too-distant future.

KB

[eclectic]

Way to go HappyAnika ! ! ! What an amazing accomplishment - not slow in my books

I read that you want to do a Tri in June. Whoo hoo!

I have been toying w/ the idea of doing one the beginning of July.
But like you (how you used to be anyway) I HATE to run - it hurts.
I swim well and can bike distance but they are none too fast either.

I need a new goal (this years was a week long bike tour and century, met both of them.) so a tri seems the next logical progression

Any hints and help is more than welcome on how to train, doing 3 sports is more daunting than 1 or 2

Keep in touch on your progress and let me know how you are going about it. I am just getting serious about doing it

[rocknrollgirl]

Rockin' Great Job...you are on your way!

[mtbdarby]

Great job Anika! I loved reading your race report too - way to stay with it and ditch those demons.

Alright, you motivated me to try it. November 26th in Wisconsin - brrrrrr!

[chickwhorips]

great job! way to go.

are you hooked now?