New #34: Run a 5K

I was a little overambitious when it came to this new. Maybe not when I committed to it, but definitely during the actual race. Uggg. It was the Valley 5000 - a local 5K that raises money for a Loveland nonprofits. I've never been a runner or jogger (or even much of a walker), but I enlisted in the event while still training for my first sprint triathlon. That was during a time of roaring athletic ambitions and ravenous work outs. I could totally handle a measly 5K. Maybe then. But after the triathlon I took a few days break from working out ... which eventually amounted to a month of idle laziness. By the time I'd dusted off my running shoes, I was out of shape, which was pretty apparent during the race.

Sarah and Jessica before the race.

Luckily, I did have a friend to share in my misery. Jessica, who did the triathlon with me, had also signed up for the 5K ... and also stopped training after the first race. On the day of the Valley 5000, we lined up with the crowd of about 500, all the while dreading how much the run was going to suck. And suck it did - starting with the monstrous mountain we had to scale.

Seriously, who maps a mountain into a 5K? No one actually wants to be running up that thing. It was a pretty significant grade, too, and lasted literally about half a mile. I. hated. it. But Jess and I kept running and running and running, until finally we were able to jog down the other side.

Our goal was to keep jogging the entire race, but at the half-mile mark we decided to take a little itty bitty walking break. So maybe it lasted a bit longer than we'd originally planned, but I was thankful for the rest. However, my serenity was soon interrupted when the hagglers started storming by - the first being a man at least 75 years old. Yeah. The guy was literally a hunchback. Not even joking. As he shuffled by, he turns around and said something along the lines of "You gonna walk the whole thing? I thought you were supposed to run in this race." Nice.

Next came the guy who was supposed to be walking - a speed walker. With arms pumping (but always one foot left on the ground), he waddled by and said some cute comment, too. What is up with these people? My only goal throughout the rest of the event was to beat these men, them and the 7-year-old who would walk in front of me until I caught up to him, then obnoxiously sprint ahead.

Sadly, by the time I reached the finish line, the speed walker and child were already done. But I was happy to know I'd defeated the hunchback. Maybe it's a little misguided to celebrate a victory over someone half-a-century older than me, but it's all about the little things in life :)