Komen Austin Race for the Cure 2011

Homegirl's first 5k & outdoor run is in the bag! 

I totally did not train properly for it. Mostly because my first run went so well. After covering almost 2 miles in less than 30 minutes, I was like 'Pshhh 5k? I GOT this.' Only I didn't. After not training for the 5k, I still ended up running a 12'52" (12 minutes, 52 seconds) mile to finish the race in just over 40 minutes. Considering that it was also my first time running outside (I only run on treadmills because...you know...the dogs), I am actually satisfied with that time. Still kicking myself because it could have been so much better.  I was holding out on putting this post up with hopes for an official finish line photo, but a search for my bib number over at Brightroom.com, the official race photographers, turned up not one photo of me in action. I was chip timed though, so there is some official record of my first 5k. A Facebook friend of mine told me she saw me running on Fox News Austin, but I couldn't find the video. If anybody else does, please send me the link. I'm rambling. On to my official race report...

Pre Race
I woke up at 5:30 AM to 1. Eat breakfast, which consisted of a banana, a bowl of Kashi with almond milk and 12oz of water, and 2. Undo my bantu knots into a twist-out. I wear a "curly fro" and them joints take time. If you're a black girl with natural hair, you know what I'm talking about.

If not, here's an old Youtube video of me demonstrating the process- http://youtu.be/hZprcQU33Xc. Only click on that if you want to know more than you ever cared to about natural hair. After eating and doing my hair, I showered, got my gear together and headed to Downtown Austin. 

Gear

I was heading to the race alone and without a fanny pack. I'm totally going to get one after this 5k because I really wanted to take pictures at the event after my run, but didn't feel like going back to my car to get anything. So a camera was not among my race day gear, but the following items were:

• iPod Touch, ear buds and armband.
• Awesome white and pink Adidas lap watch which coincidentally matched my pink Komen tee and the pink on my sneaks, but most importantly, came in handy since my Nike+ app was not on (I'll explain later).  
• 2 bras. Why are bras listed as gear? Baby, when you're pushing two size G lovely lady lumps along at anything above a trot, bras become gear. I had on two because my weight is still fluctuating and I already sized out of one very expensive sports bra and refuse to make another big purchase of one until I pick a weight and stay there for a minute. 

Starting Line

I arrived downtown around 7:15 AM. The gun-time for timed runners was 7:30 AM. I parked at Waterloo Park, which is right off the highway and only had about 20 spaces. I was surprised and lucky to have gotten a spot there. Since I didn't have a fanny pack, my car key went into my bra. I did mention I'm pushing G's right? Trust me the key bulge went un-noticed.  The closer I got to the starting line, the more nervous I got. I couldn't believe I had so many butterflies. At one point, I actually thought I would throw up, which is when I started breathing deeply and telling myself I'd be fine, it was just a run, no dogs would chase me, and if one did, I'd have plenty of people and police around to help me fight them off.

At the starting line I stretched a bit and people watched. There was a brief flash mob of dancers. There were lots of tutus and pink hair. When a girl started singing "The Star Spangled Banner", I turned on my iPod and started my running playlist, which consists mostly of Kanye, The Cranberries, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj, lots of Beyonce, Neo, Madonna and Black Eyed Peas. Then I went to start my Nike+ app to track my first ever 5k and realized that after my husband updated my iPod to iOS 5, I didn't log back in to the Nike + app at home. My Touch uses Wifi, so I couldn't log in at the starting line. I was bummed. I did have on my Adidas lap watch, so I pressed start at the sound of the gun (or horn or whatever) and was off. 

Mile 1

There were dogs, but all were on leashes and very unconcerned with my presence.

I got off at an easy steady pace. Perhaps a little too fast due to the adrenaline and the crowd. There was a hill around the first bend in the race, about 1/4 mile in. I decided not to run it. Leading up to the race, I had run a total of 4 times on a treadmill to prepare. The highest incline I had run on was 1 and the hill ahead of me was at least a 12 on the same scale. So I walked the hills to save myself for the downhill and flat runs. When I walked, I did so at my ~4.5 mph pace, which is my warm-up pace on the treadmill. I made up for lost time by running down hill as fast as I could and slowly tapering my speed once I was back on flat road.

After making it up the first hill, around a block and down another hill, I had to pee. A strategically placed port-a-potty saved the day. I was in and out of there in like 10 seconds probably. 

When I reached the Mile 1 marker, the timer read 12'38". I felt good. 

Miles 2 & 3

They weren't much different from Mile 1. There were hills. Lots of people cheering alongside the roads. No shortage of leashed dogs and horse poo in the roads. And I was keeping my pace. At the Mile 2 marker, my time was just around 26 minutes. I finished at 40'08". 

The race was difficult. And emotional. I had to blow-it-out to keep from breaking down into tears when Destiny's Child's song 'Survivor' came on my iPod at the start of the last half-mile. It was a combination of seeing all the posters like 'I'm running for my mom/dad. RIP. Love you.' and the fact that I was accomplishing something. I'm a stay at home mom of a 3.5 year old who is in school part-time. Obviously, I accomplish something everyday. But this time, I was accomplishing a goal that I had set out for myself. I'm great at setting goals for myself, but reaching them has been a struggle. At the half-mile mark, I felt like maybe this was the start of a more accomplished, productive Homegirl. So yeah, I was all emo. 

The Finish Line

I knew that Brightroom would be taking photos, so I turned it on around the last bend and on the straightway to the finishline. I ran with a pretty nice gate and great posture. I wanted to finish strong, and look atheletic in my finish line photo. As I said before, no sign of a finishline photo of me on their website, but at the time, I'm sure I looked fabulous. 

Post Race

The race started at 7:30 AM and I crossed the finish line at 8:10 AM. I had some place to be at 10 o'clock, and hadn't planned how I would spend my time there at the race. Some members of my moms support group, Mocha Moms, Inc. Austin, were volunteering at a waterstop at 9, so I figured I'd hang out and visit some sponsor booths for free stuff while I waited for them. After snagging a PBJ bagel from the HEB tent and coffee from the Community brand coffee trailer, I ran into the members of the volunteer group. I was so excited because I was actually feeling pretty lonely having run my first 5k with nobody I knew there to cheer me on. The post-race cheers of all my Mocha Moms peeps were just what I needed. Since I had an hour to spare, I signed up to volunteer with them and we had a blast handing out water to runners, walkers and strollers and cheering for cancer survivors that passed by. Here's a pic of us just before I left that day. I was all smiles for all the reasons. 

Super excited for my next run. What was your first run like?

Comments

[Carolyn]

Wonderful, Love

[Death Race]

Love those pics, it's a great race with a cause. Thanks for sharing and Congratulations for a great job well done and looking forward always for more successful race to have.

[belstaff jacket]

I'll have my review when I'm done reading it. In the meantime, I'll be wearing my latest pair of Nike hi-tops, which is arguably better than reading about them. Arguably.

[UGG Bailey Button]

There‘s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

[UGG On Sale]

I'll have my review when I'm done reading it. In the meantime, I'll be wearing my latest pair of Nike hi-tops, which is arguably better than reading about them. Arguably.

[ugg boots uk]

Without getting too descriptive and design geeky I will say simply this: We love it!

[women ugg boots]

There‘s always going to be people that hurt you so what you have to do is keep on trusting and just be more careful about who you trust next time around.

[Cheap Supra Footwear]

Oh! and I just saw Mary de B's answer - of course! The Grinch that Stole Christmas. And his heart grew and grew and grew until it was three times it's size! I have a friend I call Susie LooHoo. :)

[Ugg boot sale]

Oh how I adore this yarn! My favorite movie would be the original grinch or Frosty the Snowman. Favorite song would be Noel. When I was little I thought it was funny how low my dad could sing. Oh, and Silent Night because it was my moms favorite.

[Retro Jordan Shoe]

Without getting too descriptive and design geeky I will say simply this: We love it!

[online casino]

I love Fun Run. I been joining Fun Runs since I'm 12.