We ran a 5K...and didn't die!

And we are off...

Excitement in the air? Check.  Running shoes and running gear? Check.  Husbands and kiddos, as cheerleaders? Check and check.  iPhone camera's ready to go? Check.  Perfect paradise-type route and weather? Check and kind of.  It was sprinkling on and off, and thankfully only got rained on for a bit of the run.  Sidenote: Running against the wind + rain = a little torturous, kinda like water boarding one raindrop at a time. 

Took this near the beginning of our run, a motivating and beautiful view!

Yesterday, Chica and I ran our 5K!  We ran along the Jobos Beach running trail and had beautiful sights along the way.  The run went awesome, and despite the times it felt difficult, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt we would make it. Yesterday marked the culmination of nine weeks of training.  Nine weeks of getting up way too early, of running with pain, with illness and sometimes with a terrible attitude.  And, now we can officially say we have completed it.  Chicaaaaaa! We.Did.It!!  If you've googled the Couch to 5K training program, you know that it starts out slow and easy. The first running day requires a 5 minute warm-up and alternate between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.  I remember that very first day and the rest of that week, my lungs felt on fire, my legs wanted to give out and most of the time I was silently telling myself, "don't stop, keep going, push through!"  It is amazing how far we have both come in such a short period of time.  For me, 3.1 miles (5K) is the longest distance I have ever gone without stopping to walk. This was a huge accomplishment for me.    

But, I have another one of my confessions to make, despite all of those accomplishments and improvements I struggled with the lack of joy that I assumed would come at the end of this particular journey.  I did have a brief moment of happiness, but it quickly dissipated.  I envisioned jumping up and down, huge clown smile on my face and wanting to just squeeze Chica.  I did none of those things.  I was in a daze...not even sure if I was really aware of what had just taken place and almost missed noticing when Chica motioned for a high-five.  

Almost done...

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had invited Chica and the Mr. Chica for a celebration breakfast at our house after the run. After high-fiving Chica, we jumped into cars where our hubbies were anxiously waiting with celebratory smooches and all headed to the house.    

Breakfast was a delight, we had cheesy scrambled eggs, organic homemade pancakes with warm maple syrup and bacon.  Lots and lots of bacon! Chica helped me cook this feast and everyone ate until their bellies were satisfied! (Sidenote: I am so grateful to life for allowing us to have good friends who are a good time and we can enjoy doing this with.)  Even our beautiful golden retriever partook of the celebration and got a few bacon treats.    

Chica graciously cleaned up the whole kitchen (yeah, she is that awesome!) and after she and her hubby left, it slowed down enough for me to take some time to breath and think. I thought about the day, the run, my journey thus far and how much already my fitness life has changed.  I went from hating to run and thinking that only insane people and those being chased by a dog ran to now loving and becoming addicted to the feeling during and after a run.  I look forward to the next time Chica and I get to meet and I am still incredulous at the fact that I never gave up. I am amazed that I was able to stay injury free (I am a total klutzo, and in the past always managed to walk away with a bad knee or rolled ankle). I stayed committed, pushing through the hard runs ensuring I would see this through. Then I thought about the journey as a whole.  Chica was and is an amazing running partner, couldn't have chosen better.  In all the times I have tried something like this with a friend, I have to say that Chica was truly the best when it came to accountability and motivation. The encouragement that was exchanged during our runs is simply beautiful.  Sometimes I "carried" her through a difficult run and other times she "carried" me.  No one left behind and we embraced the "hoy pa' mi, otro dia pa' ti" (translated, today for me, another day for you) motto. Lastly I thought about our overall first run stats: 

and our C25K last run stats:

I am sincerly impressed! Can I hear a whoop, whoop??!!  Talk about kicking some serious ass, am I right, or am I right?! 

Yet, despite all of those things.  I felt an unshakeable feeling of disappointment and blahness.  I was disappointed in my letdown. Why wasn't I more excited? Was that feeling of accomplishment just delayed?

Those who know me, know that I google everything... and I googled post-race letdown.  I found a great article on active.com, written by Jack Lesyk, Ph.D, a clinical and sports psychologist.  His articled helped me in realizing that this is pretty common and normal. He writes that even politicians have reported feeling this letdown after a big campaign, win or lose. His article has some great tips on how to beat those post-race blues and I think its a worthwhile read for a beginner runner.  

I also had a great conversation with my best friend, who I will refer to as Sweet Missy, a marathoner who lives in Oklahoma and she had some great tips and advice for me.  She shared some of her personal emotional up and downs experienced during training and races. She said that in her opinion, running is hugely made up of emotional and internals struggles and hurdles that we have to push through. After doing this program, I have to wholly agree. She summed everything up by telling me to just enjoy it; every run, every victory.     

Today I feel better, much, much better.  The heaviness I felt yesterday is gone. Phew! I am extremely proud of myself and Chica for our accomplishments and my heart races a tad just thinking of how anxious I am to start our marathon training next week.  I can't wait to hit the pavement!  This time, though, I will be hitting the pavement reminding myself to free my mind, stay in "the now" and utterly enjoy each and every moment of this journey.  Reminding myself before every run, how truly lucky I am to be able to have the physical capability to get out there and run.   

Have you ever experienced post race letdown?  How have you dealt with it?  

Love&Hugs,

Bella