So the time has finally come.
Back in December 2017, I decided that I wanted to not only change my eating habits, I wanted to change my physical exercise levels as well.
To get this kick started I signed the whole family up for a 5K. I figured if we were going to do a 5K we should go big and register for a runDisney event.
Getting Ready
Shortly after getting registered, I decided I would start getting ready by walking each morning. I knew that I needed to get to a 16 minutes/mile rate to meet the runDisney requirement for the race.
On my very first walk I was able to make the 16 minute/mile rate. I was very excited, but also became very demotivated. I continued to walk for several days afterwards, but as I was able to build up to a 12-13 minute/mile by run/walking, I became even further demotivated.
Get the Right Shoes
After about a week, I stopped run/walking in the morning. Mostly in part because my feet began to hurt on the bottoms. I realized that the shoes I was wearing, although good for running errands on the weekends and the occasional theme park trip, were not good for everyday working out. There was not enough arch support and they did not have enough cushion for all the pounding my feet and knees would take.
Once the pain in my feet subsided, I sent straight to Fit2Run and bought a good pair of Asics. I have wide feet with little to no arch, so it has always been hard for me to find good shoes. The jury is still out on the pair that I bought, but I can tell, they do feel better and no more feet pain.
Time Flies
Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and I didn’t get re-motivated to put those new shoes on and get out and practice for the 5K. Before I knew it, I was on my way to Orlando to participate in the 5K. Feeling completely ill prepared, I was very nervous about this first race. I had heard that if you were too slow, they would pick up on a bus and take to the finish line. I did not want this to be me.
Race Day (Morning)
I don’t want to talk too much about the race as I have provided more in depth information about runDisney in my article runDisney for the First Time Runner, but once I was made it through the expo and to the race start, I quickly realized that the 5K was a “fun run” . Whew! What a relief. There was no bus, it was just about getting out and moving. Even though my mind was put at ease, this was my first race and I wanted to set a good personal best, I was serious.
The race ended up being a really great experience, one that I will definitely do again. I was able to run with my youngest daughter, who actually beat me at the end by one stride, but we had a great time running and walking together, taking in the event and finished in just over 33 minutes.
As a first attempt at getting back into exercise this was definitely not a success that I had in my mind of working out everyday, but overall it was a great experience and motivation to work toward the next level of doing a 10K.
Have you ever run a 5K at runDisney or otherwise? What was your experience, please share it with us below.
