My First 5K -- a Win!

Yesterday was the day -- the day I finally found the courage to run a race, after years of loving to RUN!

I drove an hour and a half to participate in a small 5K (around 40 participants) hosted by a church who is raising funds to free children from sex slavery in Thailand on their mission trip next year.

What a day! Y'all! WHAT A DAY! I am still reeling with excitement from it all! I ended up being the first woman to cross the finish line... more on that in a minute.

My husband, who I may sometimes call Coach for all the moral and childcare support he provides to encourage my running goals, stayed home with our boys while I drove and ran. I got to pray -- UNINTERRUPTED -- for like an hour, and then I blasted the radio and sang. My new smart phone led me to my destination, even when an important ramp was closed. It is so cool how those GPS things work!

When I got there, I wasn't feeling the anxiety and nervousness I feared. Running is a joy for me. It's the people and the competing of races that scare(d) me. (Not anymore--I wanna race, race, race after yesterday!) I was just ready to run. I checked in, got my shirt, emptied my bladder, stretched and prayed. I sized up the competition -- quite a mix of ages, from 6 years old to 60.

I was most nervous about pacing myself when amidst the other runners. The competition is a healthy motivator for speed, but I did not want to start out so fast that I crashed halfway through... and i didn't want to start out too slow because I was afraid of starting too fast.

Above is a shot from my Runtastic of the race yesterday morning. My first mile was faster than I am used to, and I felt that at the time (even though I didn't want to look at my phone and get caught up in my head about that... so I didn't look until the end), so I slowed a little, purposefully. The third mile required endurance, and I felt like I was flying when the volunteers cheered me through the finish line. I didn't slow until I crossed those cones! WHEW!!!

One more thing about the Runtastic. I totally forgot to turn off my clock for almost 45 seconds after crossing the finish line. I knew I was the first woman, and at the time I couldn't tell if I was the fifth or sixth person. I was SO EXCITED, like a person who is so shocked she hit a homerun that she forgets to run bases... I forgot to shut off my clock in the excitement. The official time as recorded at the race was 22:56!!! First woman! Fifth person! My goal was under 24 minutes. I feel so pumped! As you can see, though... my Runtastic only measured 3.02 miles... but I would have beat my goal even with the next .08 miles... unless I fell on my face, I guess!

You guys, courage and success feel so good! I am working on a post about finding God in these moments of glory. It is easy to make it all about me and way too much self focus. I pray to express in words how much God has helped me from being a really insecure teenager many years ago to becoming a woman who feeds healthy delusions of elite-running grandeur in the next decade. Or just a woman who has a lot of fun at races, like yesterday! Elite or not, this is where I am and I am actually present for it -- ENJOYING it in God's PEACE, content with where I am while healthfully attempting new goals. What plans does He have for me? Will I simply encourage average women to try something intimidating they have always wanted, will I run in the Olympics (doubtful but not impossible), will I find connections and funds to help people in need through this hobby??? I don't know. And I am not gonna get ahead of myself. Right now, I am a woman who appreciates the physical and mental fitness of running, and who is finding the courage to try new circumstances and new challenges because I actually believe I can do anything through Christ on His unique path for me. Step-by-step. God will lead me. (I have another post in the mental works about women who have helped me break through the shell of negativity about women's capabilities. We are different than men, in God's good design; but we are capable of much more than the thoughtless and easy-to-miss-but-still-absorbed remarks we are surrounded by in our culture.)

I also learned something I needed to know for the half-marathon in October: I cannot drink water from a little cup at the volunteer stand while running. It went up my nose and choked me, so I just poured it on my shirt to cool off. I usually don't need a drink until mile 6, but I have been wondering about the half. Should I just wear my own water bottle with a squirt top? I don't want to put up with it. Stopping to drink a little cup in a fast gulp and then making up for lost speed once it is down will be better than choking on snorted water and gasping for breath while running at top speed. Hmm. It was funny, though!

Another thing I enjoyed about the race was waiting with other finishers until all the racers were done. One man, Scott, talked with me for a good while about ultra-marathons (Yes, I have a NEW DELUSION OF GRANDEUR that I will post about at a later date too!) and his family. He and I connected at the starting line because it took them forever to blow the horn. He was friendly and good spirited--a 53-year-old man who kept up with the two teenage boys who won the race, he crossed the finish line at 21:40, ahead of me. He took my picture for my award and kindly told me that his wife left her job as a CPA to stay home when they had kids (as many years ago as I was born) and that she was never sorry for the decision. He said that to encourage me as a mommy. I really like people who find little things to appreciate and encourage in others. I hope I meet Scott again. I really hope he runs the half-marathon I am doing in October. He was thinking about it. What a nice man!

Oh, and then there was a 6-year-old girl who finished the race in 40 minutes. Y'all, she had fallen flat on her face at the beginning of the race... and then she ran to the end. SIX YEARS OLD! Carolina, you rock, little gal! We all cheered for her at the end.

I got a gift card as my prize to RoadID.com. Until then, I had never considered the wisdom of wearing an identification accessory in case of injury on long runs by myself... I am interested in it. And since they didn't have medals at this race... I consider the gift card envelope my medal. See below: (Can you see the tiny letters?) I am the "Winner Fe"! I assumed that is "Fe[male]", but it also makes me think I am Iron Man because of the Periodic Table of Elements... and because I feel like Iron Woman after yesterday's success.

Father-God, You were with me yesterday. Or, rather, I should say I walked with You. You're always with me, thanks to Your Son. Feeling alive feels so good, wanting to pursue challenges and be connected to people and conquer fears... Wow! If only my 15-year-old self could have figured this out THEN. Oh, well... You work on me in Your time. Thank You! Please help me not sabotage my continued training and pursuits by focusing on the wrong things from yesterday. Thank You for my health and my friends and family who encourage me. Thank You for future plans... and please help me to count on You more than those future plans, since they don't exist for me yet. Thank you for Spirit's work in my soul. I feel Your fruits more than I have before. Please keep working on me. In Jesus the Christ, I pray -- Thank YOU!