Run Rocklin 5K 2018

The boys and I participated in Run Rocklin this last weekend. The boys have never done a race, and the last (and first) time I ran a 5K was 10 years ago at work. So we didn't really know what to expect!

We were up bright and early, and feeling grateful that the race was literally 5 minutes from our house.

The boys ran the kids' 1/4 mile. We talked to them beforehand about not sprinting the entire way. We told them to pace themselves. Run quickly but hold back some energy until close to the end. I mean, I know it was only a quarter mile but my boys have never run a race. So it seemed like good advice.

They didn't listen. Ryan shot out of the starting line and gave it all he had. Lucas wasn't too far behind. Ryan is a very fast runner, and he's quite proud of that fact. He was running to win. Unfortunately he pushed himself a little too hard, and he threw up in the bushes shortly after the race. He told me he is never running that race again, but I'm hoping he'll change his mind by next year.

Next up was the 5K. I began following the Couch to 5K training program back in January. It literally guides you from sitting on your couch to being able to run a 5K. Now let me preface this by saying I am NOT a runner. Never have been and probably never will be. I was that kid in school who finished dead last in PE. So going into all this, my only goal was just to finish the race, hopefully without walking.

The first two weeks of 5K training were pretty easy. The app on my phone would tell me when to walk and when to run. It began with very short 1-2 minute increments of running, followed by a few minutes of walking. Very simple. Most of my runs were done on our garage treadmill. I would let Jenna watch a cartoon and put Andrew in his highchair with some cheerios while he watched me. I did 3 runs per week.

Weeks 3-6 were much harder for me. The running times grew longer, and even though there were walking breaks in between, they didn't seem to help much. Then somewhere near the end of week 5 or 6 I had to do a solid 20 minutes of running without stopping. The sun was out and Adam was home early, so I headed outside for my run. And guess what? I loved it! I realized that running without stopping was more enjoyable than doing the run/walk increments. And running outside was SO much better than the treadmill. Week 7 was the same. I was now up to 2 miles of solid running and I felt like I could do more.

On the day of the race I was excited. The longest distance I had run earlier that week was 2.75 miles, so I knew I could do 3.1. I had a goal to finish in under 40 minutes. Did I mention I am a very slow runner?

My Dad also ran the race, and we ran together the whole time. The first mile was very easy and went by quickly. During the second mile there was a slight incline to the street, and it felt like it took much longer to run. But according to my phone we were consistently running each mile in just over 12 minutes. The third mile also felt kind of slow, but once we rounded the last corner and could see the finish line in the distance, we picked up a little speed. We crossed the finish line at 36 minutes and 20 seconds!

I was so proud of us! I was proud of myself for finishing the race and not stopping to walk. It's a great feeling to set a goal for yourself and then reach it. In the past I have only done food/nutrition goals, such as completing the 21 Day Fix (this included daily workouts) or doing the Whole30, or giving up sugar for a month. And completing those always felt so good. But exercise was more intimidating for me. I didn't think I could even run a mile. A part of me kind of figured I'd give up partway through the training. So it's a great feeling to know I actually trained for a 5K and completed it! It reminds me that I have more willpower and discipline than I think.

What health goals do you set for yourself?

Until next year Run Rocklin!