Keith and I found the Monster Dash, a fun costume oriented 5k. I thought this would be a good first race because it was raising money for a good cause (Team Ortho) and it would also be a race that many would not take seriously. I knew that if I was doing a "fun run" then I would feel a lot less pressure. I didn't want to dress in costume (it was my first race, after all), but Keith and I put temporary Halloween themed tattoos on our face and hands.
Keith and I ran together a few times in preparation for the 5k, but mostly I ran with Indy. (If you ever ask him "do you want to go for a run?" he will start squeeling and jumping around, pretty cute.) Even Keith isn't as fast as Indy, but Indy and I found a good pace together. Rather than running large loops, we run from home to an empty field that is ~0.5 miles around and do laps. This gives me the opportunity to push myself further if I feel up to it, knowing that I can still manage to get home if I start to become too tired.
Running was not an easy thing to add to my daily routine. My CFS treatment plan is to provide balance and to not overexert myself. By pushing myself harder with running, I was tipping the balance to doing a little too much each day. I needed to compensate by doing less of my other activities (knitting, blogging on ChemKnits) and taking more naps. Ultimately, it is worth it to keep my heart healthy.
Nevertheless, I am proud to say that I finished the 5k, AND felt that I could have run a bit further! (Keith's Garmin watch thought we had run less than the course, so the finish line snuck up on us sooner than we expected.) We finished with a time of 33:50! And the fatigue? I did well until we got to the car where I started to crash during the ride home. The nap that afternoon was a good one because it was filled with victory.
The race was the week before Halloween... and I haven't run since. I DO plan to run more in the future, but the cold weather has gotten a little in the way. I cannot wait for the 2013 race season to begin, I plan on signing up for more 5k's.
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I have to say again I am so proud of you! Also, I have heard that it's a really common thing for race courses to come up shorter on GPS than they actually are. Apparently race organizers have a big problem where they get complaints afterwards from people who measured the race with their GPS and they have to assure them that it really was the right distance!
ReplyDeletePart of the issue is that the GPS doesn't do well for measuring turns etc. We were using it mostly for a timer since there was no official race time. (But also so I would know how far I'd gone and how far was left). I believe that a lot of ppl complain!
DeleteYay Rebecca! I'm so happy for you :) And I love the Halloween tattoos!
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