Fat to 5K: Aug 4th RR

freew67

After having great success with my first 5K, I thought I would torture myself with another. It’s been exactly 1 month from my last 5K. I wogged that one in 41:26 with my goal for that day being under 44:00 mins. I am 12 lbs lighter today vs previous race (total of 107 lbs now) and the temp was 15 deg cooler. My main goal for the day was to break the 40 min mark with a secondary goal of just setting a PR. My 13 yr old nephew was also doing the race with me. It’s his first 5K and it's at his school. He is trying out for the cross country team there so no added pressure. Right? lol

Unlike the 4th of July race where there were over 700 people this race had at most 200 folks. Made the start a tic easier especially since the race director told the walkers to GET IN THE BACK! Not all of them listened. I knew I needed to start with a faster pace than normal to hit that sub 40 min goal. First ½ mile was fairly flat with a small rolling hill to a turn. So far so good, then I made the turn. I know the route but I’ve always been in a car on this road. Oddly enough I never noticed how big the hills were while in the car. When I turned the corner, I found out.

It was rolling hills till you hit a side street to come back around. I didn’t plan on these hills but at the 2 mile marker was 23:xx. I looked back and saw the hills were harder on my nephew. He wasn’t too far behind me but not that close either. I thought for sure I would be cutting it close but it was nice to see I had a little bit of wiggle room. The last big hill I’m fairly sure was either 12 miles long or a ¼. I’m not 100% sure since it seemed like it was never going to end. Once finally on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, right turn to a decent downhill and .6 miles to go.

At this point I realize I started off to strong and the hills took more out of me then I realized. Walking isn’t an option especially since my nephew is behind me. Plus when I made the last turn into the school parking lot, I knew there were 6-8 family members watching. I made the last turn and now ballpark 200 yards to the finish. The hills plus trying to keep a pace I haven’t done before took everything out of me. I made an attempt to pick up the pace but it didn’t last long. About 30 yards left I come up on my family. My 3 year old runs up and starts to jog along side of me. He wanted to race with daddy! He finished the race with me (pic below).

I crossed the line and stopped my HRM at 37:06! Holy crap! I was going to be happy if the clock said 39:59. 40 min goal crushed and a new PR to boot. My official time was 36:58 and my nephew finished at 37:50. To say I was pleased with the race today would be an understatement. Beat my old PR by 4:28 and if Map My Run would have worked right, probably would have set a new 1 mile time. My average pace was 11:56, which to me is amazing. Today results were better than I expected. I keep showing myself that I can go above and beyond what I think I can do. I was 100% spent afterwards. To celebrate my good day, I took a much needed nap.

http://freew67.blogspot.com/

Timby1

Your success and the photo of your little boy wanting to run the race with daddy literally brought tears to my eyes. Congratulations on the new personal best. You rocked this race!

Donnaovercomer

good for you...love the picture!!

jw17695

How inspirational! I love your picture.

futurestarz

Awesome story! I love it! The pic is great. This motivates me to try the C25K.

freew67

Thanks everyone!

-futurestarz DO IT! Its well worth it from just a calorie burning stand point. I burn way more cals jogging then walking. During the 5K yesterday I started and stopped my HRM when I crossed the lines. A total of 830 calories burned in 37 mins. Now, that wasnt an easy jog. I was pushing my self to the point when I crossed the line I was spent. How odd of a feeling it was but how great of a feeling just the same. 6-8 months ago this was not possible. Im starting to believe anything is possible if I put my mind to it. Just takes time to make it possible.

http://freew67.blogspot.com/

smalleyez06

I am finally getting to see this since I am not on my phone and I love it. Great job and I am going to keep my fingers crossed and 5Ks I do, do not involve hills

Jkc9059

I love your story telling!! Hope that the mountains continue to challenge you and you rise to meet them. How inspiring!!

lulukittie

Congratulations and I love the photo!

ALW65

First, the picture is exceptional! Kudos to the person who was quick thinking to catch that photo - talk about priceless~

Second, FANTASTIC running! I did my 2nd 5K Sunday with worse weather than the first, and like you I shaved off time (39.5 to 37.5 minutes appx). Isn't it just the greatest feeling of accomplishment when you've finished the race??? I can't say I love running yet, but I do love that feeling of self satisfaction.

Keep up the great running and please add me as a friend if you're looking for more new running MFP friends :flowerforyou:

EvilMomma

Its people like you that make people like me get off out well padded bottoms and MOVE! Thank you for the story and especially the picture. You inspire so many more than you realize...

freew67

I am finally getting to see this since I am not on my phone and I love it. Great job and I am going to keep my fingers crossed and 5Ks I do, do not involve hills

Do your homework, its well worth the time. I knew the road but its been a while since I've been on it. Forgot that those rolling hills rolled on for a little more then I remember. lol

freew67

First, the picture is exceptional! Kudos to the person who was quick thinking to catch that photo - talk about priceless~

Second, FANTASTIC running! I did my 2nd 5K Sunday with worse weather than the first, and like you I shaved off time (39.5 to 37.5 minutes appx). Isn't it just the greatest feeling of accomplishment when you've finished the race??? I can't say I love running yet, but I do love that feeling of self satisfaction.

Keep up the great running and please add me as a friend if you're looking for more new running MFP friends :flowerforyou:

That was my sister. Couldnt have been a more perfect pic.

Congrats 2 you also! PR's are always nice to get. I agree 100% with the accomplishment part. I was tired at 2 miles. The hills took a ton of out me but I told myself, "IM NOT GOING TO WALK!" My guess is if I walked for about 20-30 seconds, I prob could have had a better time. To me thats not the point, I wanted to jog from start and finish. That was my goal and with 1 mile to go I didnt want to give up. I enjoy the competition with myself. Since were on the slow side, thats basically all it is. lol When I crossed that line yesterday, there was no question I gave it my all. My brother said, 36:58 was a good time for you. I said no, it was a great time! Over 3 mins past my goal and 4 over my last PR, that gets a promotion from good to great.

freew67

Its people like you that make people like me get off out well padded bottoms and MOVE! Thank you for the story and especially the picture. You inspire so many more than you realize...

Thank you, I really do appreciate that. Im not really a person who likes to share with strangers. The farther I got into my weight loss journey, the more motivated I got by reading about others who succeeded. While my story is similar to others its also very different. If I could share my story with others about the new joys in my life, the new goals I never thought were achievable, the new opportunites I never thought were possible, then maybe someone could get inspired to. I hope others get to feel the same amount of joy and accomplishment I felt when I stepped on the scale and saw I lost a 100 lbs. If my story helps 1 person, get off their, "well padded bottoms," it was well worth sharing then.

http://freew67.blogspot.com/

RealMattHopkins

Congratulations, not only for the run but for being a great dad. You're leading the way for a little guy, showing him a better, healthier lifestyle for his future. Keep it up!

JoanneStone

It is so sweet that your son finished the race with you! It actually brought tears to my eyes. It must have been an all around great experience for you! Congrats! :bigsmile: