5K Run for Love and Cupcakes
So . . . I decided to do a 5K to further test the old ticker. My goal for this race was similar to my first 5K - to see if I could finish. with all my body parts functioning. I ran slow and steady, trying not to over-tax my heart. And I did finish! Yippee!
It was a fun race - about 200 people and really cool finisher medals. I think it's funny that I get so excited by my finisher medals, but hey, at age 60 when so many people are at home on the couch having their morning coffee, I think just starting the race is an accomplishment and finishing should be celebrated. I am proud of my finisher medals.
This was a COLD race - 8 degrees and snowing! My husband didn't want me to race. He is still nervous about my heart. I decided to do it anyway and as always, my wonderful husband was supportive. My biggest question was about what to wear. I thought about wearing a big bulky sweatshirt but then opted to wear layers: turtle neck / warm-up jacket / long sleeved t-shirt / ear muffs. At the start, a woman who I have never met, suddenly wrapped both arms around me and said, "I'm so cold!" Ha. I love triathletes. While chilly at the start, I was soon toastie and thankful that I didn't wear the bulky sweatshirt.
The Midwest was covered in about a foot of snow and most of the roads we ran were ice covered in many places. The event organizer recommended that we be careful and suggested that we not run a personal best. The worst part of the race running for a mile in snow-covered grass. I guess the city thought they had plowed the sidewalk for us, but the plow got off course and wasn't actually on the sidewalk! The only place you could easily run was in the plow's tire treads so that's where I ran. I felt like a hire-wire runner, as I carefully placed one foot in front of the other. I twisted my ankle a couple of times on the uneven ground, but nothing big. As we came across the finish line, they gave us BIG medals and a cupcake (which I gave to my husband). Woohoo, I finished!
Time: 43:11
Pace: 13.57
Those things on the top of my head are my reading glasses. Yes, I ran the entire race with my reading glasses on the top of my head. Laughing out loud!!
I've decided to just "go for it" in the future rather than hold back. If my atrial flutter was not just a fluke, then we'll know. And . . . since the cardiologist said that atrial flutter isn't life threatening and I have his permission to race, I don't see any reason why I should hold back. I'm being constrained by my fears rather than my ability. I still haven't done SPIN class or hill-intervals, but will do those in the next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment