The Trolley Run

For the last few months I have been running. Not like marathons or anything, just your typical mom/treadmill time. I've never been a runner in my life. I would rather do just about anything else physically. I love yoga, riding my bike, hiking, canoeing and I really enjoyed my time when I was doing boot camp. Running just seemed boring to me. The ex is a runner. What I would actually call a fanatical runner. He was constantly training for some up and coming race. I was a tad bit bitter about the running. Perhaps that is another reason why I hated it. I always associated it with him. BUT now I am breaking my negative associations with him, by confronting them head on. I am replacing them with my own experiences and running was at the top of that list.

I used a program on my phone called Couch to 5K (C25K). It is a wonderful app to get you up and moving. It is around a 30 minute workout and really prepares your body gradually for endurance. I have known quite a few people who have started their running using this program so I felt confident about it.

As part of the training, I signed up for two road races; The Trolley Run(4 miles)and the Mothers Day 5K at Corporate Woods. My friend Teresa who is my exercise guru, told me to always have a race on the calendar as it is how to keep yourself motivated. She was right. I watched the date approaching and made every effort to be prepared.

On Sunday I ran my very first road race. It was the trolley run and it was exhilarating for me. As I started running I had butterflies. I haven't done much outdoor running so I was nervous about 4 miles of pavement. I was nervous that Kristi, my running partner, was a secret Carl Lewis, and was going to leave me in her dust. But no. She and I kept pace together the entire run. I enjoyed the pavement. I enjoyed the changing scenery. I loved passing each mile marker and finally I absolutely felt the biggest high when I saw the finish line. I never understood why people loved these races like they do until that moment. It was the best feeling in the world, completing that race. And while we weren't Carl Lewis(4 miles in 50 min 43 seconds), we had so much to be proud of. Two stay at home moms, who have three kiddos each, beaming from our accomplishment.

In three weeks she and I will run our next race. This time there is no hesitation or fear. I know I'm ready!