Here's a picture of me crossing the finish line at the WV 5k Championship.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My First Race
Today I ran my first race ever. It was a 5k, which is typically considered the shortest race, and a good starting point for me. I was really excited about it, the motivation of watching runners around me giving it their all, the accomplishment you feel when you actually cross a finish line and even the way it was set up felt really official and it made me feel like I was a part of something important.
I got to the race, pinned the number on my shirt and started doing my stretches. It was crazy as a beginning runner to watch other runners get ready around me. This was a real race, these were real runners. As I warmed up I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. The thing about running your first race is that its, well, your first race. I never took the time to ask anybody how to warm up for a race. So I jogged around some, I walked around some, did some more stretches, I guessed that was right.
Then the time came. I lined up on the starting line with roughly 600 other runners, the gun was shot and we were off. I'd been told by other runners not to worry about keeping up with the other runners, these guys would be leading the pack and there was no way I could keep up with them. I told these people that it wouldn't be a problem, I know what pace I can run and I'll just keep it up, I didn't care about the other runners.
I was so wrong. No matter how many times you tell yourself to stay at your own pace, if there are awesome runners around you, you're going to try to keep up with them. I don't know why I did it, it just felt like the right thing to do. As I'd been warned, it wasn't. I quickly ran out of steam and had to slow down to a slow jog. I kept running for most of the race. If I told you I ran the whole time and didn't walk at all, it'd be a dirty, dirty lie. I stopped to walk about three times throughout the 3.1 miles.
My final time was 37 minutes and 56 seconds. At first I was upset with myself. I've ran 3.1 miles in less time then that before. How was it that the time I run the worst is in a race?!? I spent maybe five minutes being upset with myself, but then I realized something. I finished my first race. I ran a 5k, sure with a couple hiccups, but it was my first race and I crossed a finish line. I'll even have a picture to back it up pretty soon.
I've won awards and I've gotten promotions, but there's a feeling you get when you cross a finish line that nothing else can replace. Its a sense of accomplishment. Immediate accomplishment. I know that a year ago, there's no way I would have even considered entering a 5k and now I've finished one. I don't know if I'm going to make it to marathon runner by the end of the year, but one thing's for sure, I'm a runner now, and nothing's going to change that.
I got to the race, pinned the number on my shirt and started doing my stretches. It was crazy as a beginning runner to watch other runners get ready around me. This was a real race, these were real runners. As I warmed up I realized I had no idea what I was supposed to do. The thing about running your first race is that its, well, your first race. I never took the time to ask anybody how to warm up for a race. So I jogged around some, I walked around some, did some more stretches, I guessed that was right.
Then the time came. I lined up on the starting line with roughly 600 other runners, the gun was shot and we were off. I'd been told by other runners not to worry about keeping up with the other runners, these guys would be leading the pack and there was no way I could keep up with them. I told these people that it wouldn't be a problem, I know what pace I can run and I'll just keep it up, I didn't care about the other runners.
I was so wrong. No matter how many times you tell yourself to stay at your own pace, if there are awesome runners around you, you're going to try to keep up with them. I don't know why I did it, it just felt like the right thing to do. As I'd been warned, it wasn't. I quickly ran out of steam and had to slow down to a slow jog. I kept running for most of the race. If I told you I ran the whole time and didn't walk at all, it'd be a dirty, dirty lie. I stopped to walk about three times throughout the 3.1 miles.
My final time was 37 minutes and 56 seconds. At first I was upset with myself. I've ran 3.1 miles in less time then that before. How was it that the time I run the worst is in a race?!? I spent maybe five minutes being upset with myself, but then I realized something. I finished my first race. I ran a 5k, sure with a couple hiccups, but it was my first race and I crossed a finish line. I'll even have a picture to back it up pretty soon.
I've won awards and I've gotten promotions, but there's a feeling you get when you cross a finish line that nothing else can replace. Its a sense of accomplishment. Immediate accomplishment. I know that a year ago, there's no way I would have even considered entering a 5k and now I've finished one. I don't know if I'm going to make it to marathon runner by the end of the year, but one thing's for sure, I'm a runner now, and nothing's going to change that.
Friday, June 18, 2010
To Train for a 5k?
The key to any training program is setting up smaller goals for yourself until you are able to reach the bigger goal. As a runner, I'm in luck. There are several races throughout the year, of varying distances, that I can use to build myself up to a marathon.
With that said, I will be running my first race ever this Saturday. I'll be participating in the WV 5k Championship in Huntington, WV. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm pretty excited about it.
My prediction is that it will be a little challenging, but really inspiring. For those of you that aren't Metric system inclined, a 5k (AKA 5 kilometers) is roughly 3.1 miles. For those of you that have been keeping up with me for a while, you'll remember that 3 miles is a pretty average sized run for me. That really isn't anything huge anymore.
However, even though the distance won't be anything groundbreaking for me, I think the speed will be. With runners of varying levels all around me on the same course, its going to be really hard to pace myself. It will also be really hard to stop myself and not keep up, so I'm really interested to see how this turns out.
For those readers out there that don't feel up for a 5k, I encourage you to at least come out to Huntington, watch the run and cheer us all on. For those of you that feel up to a 5k, come on out and join us, its gonna be a blast!
With that said, I will be running my first race ever this Saturday. I'll be participating in the WV 5k Championship in Huntington, WV. I don't really know what to expect, but I'm pretty excited about it.
My prediction is that it will be a little challenging, but really inspiring. For those of you that aren't Metric system inclined, a 5k (AKA 5 kilometers) is roughly 3.1 miles. For those of you that have been keeping up with me for a while, you'll remember that 3 miles is a pretty average sized run for me. That really isn't anything huge anymore.
However, even though the distance won't be anything groundbreaking for me, I think the speed will be. With runners of varying levels all around me on the same course, its going to be really hard to pace myself. It will also be really hard to stop myself and not keep up, so I'm really interested to see how this turns out.
For those readers out there that don't feel up for a 5k, I encourage you to at least come out to Huntington, watch the run and cheer us all on. For those of you that feel up to a 5k, come on out and join us, its gonna be a blast!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Motivation
The hardest thing about runner, or any exercise program for that matter, is keeping yourself motivated. When I first started running, my motivation, primarily, was this blog, and the end goal of being able to run a marathon. I threw myself into this public arena, and I feel a pressure to follow through. However, as the blog has continued, my true motivation has changed.
It seems like at least once a week someone tells me about how they started running again because of me. People pretty regularly ask me if I'll run with them. I can't express how amazing it feels to know that I've inspired people to get healthy. It means way more to me then actually making myself healthy. There's no way I'm quitting anytime soon, I want to continue motivating people, and by extension, motivate myself.
However, for those of you that aren't blog-inclined, or maybe helping people just doesn't give you those warm-fuzzies I'm referring to, I do have a few motivation tips for you.
First of all, the best decision I ever made was to run everyday. I used to do that, "I'll exercise three times a week," thing, but that's horrible. I never followed through with the schedule, and it ended up, on a good week, I'd exercise maybe one day. When you exercise everyday, it is impossible to say "I'll do it tomorrow," because you already have to do it tomorrow. You have to do today's workout today, that's just the way it works.
Secondly, you need to make your run an extension of something else you enjoy. When I listen to podcasts or music, that's really what I'm doing. The run is just a side-effect of doing those things. If you like to bird-watch, run in an area with lots of birds so you can do that while you run, if you like to watch TV, maybe you should invest in a treadmill and run in front of your TV. Never allow running to become a chore. You won't want to do it then.
There are many other motivators, but I'll save them for another post. As always, comment, shoot me an email, or hit me up on twitter (twitter.com/terrybartley) if you have any questions or suggestions.
It seems like at least once a week someone tells me about how they started running again because of me. People pretty regularly ask me if I'll run with them. I can't express how amazing it feels to know that I've inspired people to get healthy. It means way more to me then actually making myself healthy. There's no way I'm quitting anytime soon, I want to continue motivating people, and by extension, motivate myself.
However, for those of you that aren't blog-inclined, or maybe helping people just doesn't give you those warm-fuzzies I'm referring to, I do have a few motivation tips for you.
First of all, the best decision I ever made was to run everyday. I used to do that, "I'll exercise three times a week," thing, but that's horrible. I never followed through with the schedule, and it ended up, on a good week, I'd exercise maybe one day. When you exercise everyday, it is impossible to say "I'll do it tomorrow," because you already have to do it tomorrow. You have to do today's workout today, that's just the way it works.
Secondly, you need to make your run an extension of something else you enjoy. When I listen to podcasts or music, that's really what I'm doing. The run is just a side-effect of doing those things. If you like to bird-watch, run in an area with lots of birds so you can do that while you run, if you like to watch TV, maybe you should invest in a treadmill and run in front of your TV. Never allow running to become a chore. You won't want to do it then.
There are many other motivators, but I'll save them for another post. As always, comment, shoot me an email, or hit me up on twitter (twitter.com/terrybartley) if you have any questions or suggestions.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)