YFC Runway Run 2017
My first official run of 2017 happen this past weekend. Yes, I'm a baby and don't run in the cold. All the runners tell me I should start but every winter that goes by I just can't seem to get my booty moving in the cold. So every year after the Santa Shuffle (in December) I take a break until April/May and hardly do any running...even inside (I know, crazy but true).
This was my second year running on the YFC Runway Run (yes! we run on the airport runway...without the planes obviously) which is a run to raise awareness (and money) for mental health. I hold this one dear to my heart because I have gone through phases in my life where I show signs of depression and anxiety (especially social anxiety). Honestly, I keep telling myself I should go and talk with someone to see if my states are more severe than I let them out to be. I just keep getting through them which enforces that I am able to "deal with it" on my own...is that really the case though since it keeps coming back? I have it in my head that others need the help way more than I do because they are struggling more. I know I shouldn't think that way and I would tell others not to think that way. I guess maybe it's an excuse/reason I keep telling myself to not seek out some help. Having said all this, I really am a lot better than years before. At one point in time, I would come home to lay in bed to look at the 4 walls for hours without any desire to get out of bed. I would avoid new social situations as much as I could. And I lived in fear for most of my life which stopped me from doing a lot of things I wanted to do. Obviously, I have come out of my shell a lot. I still push myself to live outside my comfort zone because life is just so much better on the other side of my comfort zone.
Anyway, back to race day! I actually volunteered in the morning. I absolutely love volunteering and surprisingly so do so many other people so it's not always easy to volunteer at events. I was able to volunteer at the registration desk which was a lot of fun and I met new people. We had a lot of fun stories and laughs all morning long (told you my social anxiety was a lot better than the past - you would have never caught me doing something like this). It was a lot of fun to see all the runners before the race too and be able to wish them all "good luck". Check out the news report about this event (starting at 15:00) here.
I had packed my lunch and some snacks since I knew I would be hungry before the run and didn't want to fill up on muffins and other things like that which were offered to the volunteers. There is a place and time for muffins and for me it isn't before a run. Having said that, a lot of the volunteers weren't running so they enjoyed the snacks. The morning of the run I had Shakeology and mid morning I ate a banana when there was a break between registration. The run started at 1:15 pm and at 12:30 pm I managed to eat a bagel, cheese and smoked salmon. I was hoping to have that lunch at noon. Honestly, it was a bit too heavy that close to the run. Thankfully, I only had a small amount of cramping during the run because of the lunch choice. It wasn't anything that really affected me at all and these are the things I love to learn about myself - it's what happens when I listen to my body.
I was very excited to run the race with Jeff. He makes me so proud. I still remember when I started running 2 year ago and I asked him to run with me. He was so frustrated that he couldn't run around the block and went back into the apartment while I struggled outside...and continued to struggle outside all summer long by myself. Eventually, he saw my progress and what I was doing. He knew I couldn't run around that block either when I first started so he eventually decided he wanted to put the work in and run as well. I'm happy to say we BOTH ran the 5 km under 30 minutes and I had a personal best of 26 mins an 30 seconds. It was a cold, windy run which was much different than last year (it was so hot I had to take my hat off part way through the run). Our freebies this year for taking part in the run were Buffs with the YFC Runway Run written all over it. I absolutely love Buffs when running in the spring and fall.
After the run, granola bars, bananas and water were provided and I had no problem chowing down on it all. When I got home I filled my tummy even more with a stack of protein pancakes with chocolate chunks in them. I ALWAYS have a delicious/yummy meal after a running event. I wish I would have taken a picture of them. I guess I was too excited to get them into my belly to be worried about a picture. They were just as delicious as you would think...especially if you're a pancake lover like myself.
I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of what I am accomplishing with my running and I should be. Two years ago, I didn't think I would ever run 5 km. I ran my first 5 km just to say I ran it and figured I would quit then. NOPE! After that first 5 km, I cried my eyes out and knew I wanted to do more. I had fallen in love with something that I never thought I would be able to do - run - and if I never tried, if I didn't stay consistent, and if I would have given up I would have never realized the love I have for running. A challenge is a good thing. The bigger the challenge the more rewarding it will feel when you finally accomplish what you set out to do. If you want to do something in life go out and do it. What's stopping you?
My next goal for running is to run a 1/2 marathon this fall. I start training for it soon (it's 16 weeks of training). Am I nervous? Yes. Am I scared? Yes. Do I have doubts? You bet I do! I'm still going to TRY it though. I'm still going to follow through. And I am still going to run the 1/2 marathon. My goal will be to finish it and I will not be focusing on time for this next one. It's a stepping stone to my ultimate goal of running a full marathon (hopefully, next year!). Anyone want to join me?
