~*Shayna's Blog*~: February 2015

(Originally wrote in October 2014. Forgot to publish--whoooops!! Better late than never).

A few months ago I saw a groupon (yay groupons!) that caught my attention. I saw some chocolate. I saw the words 5k. Curiously, I clicked on the details. It was in Indianapolis. That was good! I was anxious and nervous at the same time because I actually wanted to do this! Even though I am not a runner at all I thought it would be fun to try something new. I had been working out mostly on cardio machines for a couple of months already. I thought to myself that I could add in some running on a treadmill.

My first day on the treadmill and I thought I was going to die. I couldn't even run a half mile without being completely out of breath. I knew this was going to have to be something I would build myself up to and was thankful to have plenty of time to do so. Since I don't love running, it was a chore. After a couple of weeks went by I was past that half mile mark. A couple weeks after that I was running a mile without stopping. I know that sounds easy, but for me it wasn't! I got to the point where I could do 2 miles. 2.5 miles. For some reason after I hit 2.58 miles it was like a mental block that I couldn't continue and I would always stop. Either completely, or slow down, and try to get to the 3 mile mark. It eventually came and I got past that barrier. I was doing good for a while. Then, I got sick. For like a week was completely out of it. I had no motivation when I was well to get back on the treadmill. I thought I would just give up and not do the run. I had 4 weeks until the race at this point and knew I had to make a decision. Then one day I decided to run outside. It was difficult at first, but I definitely liked it better than being at a smelly gym on a treadmill. I kept it up and after a week I was back up to my time! I was thankful I decided to stick with it. I pushed myself to do something that was completely out of my comfort zone.

Since the race was at the state fairgrounds Tyler and I decided it would be best to get a room in Indy to be close to the event. I had to be there Saturday for the expo to pick up my packet. The race was early Sunday morning so staying up there was perfect. I was 10 minutes away from the fairgrounds and had no worries that I would make it on time! I had a dream that I was late and missed the race. That would have been the worst! I felt much better knowing I was right down the road from the race.

I didn't have a restful night the day before my race like many articles had suggested to do. For some strange reason, Scarlet would wake up screaming every 30 minutes to an hour. Like uncontrollably screaming. Nothing would console her. She would eventually fall asleep on her own. Watching the clock turn every 30 minutes knowing I had to be up at 630am was no fun at all. I decided to hope out of bed at 630, get ready, and get some breakfast. I was super tired. I had a half bagel with peanut butter and some water. We got to the fairgrounds at 8am. The race started at 9am. It was so fun seeing everyone come in! My friend Heather and her daughter Faith came to support me! It was fantastic having them there cheering me on! It was time to line up for the race to start and I had to go to the bathroom after I had just been 20 minutes prior. I was freaking out because the line to the bathroom was a mile long and I didn't have time to wait. Thankfully, the announcer guy said they were running 10 minutes late so without a thought I jumped over the gate and ran to the bathroom. I got back to the line and it was time to go! I didn't know where to start as this was my first race so I decided to stay up front. There were probably 50 people in front of me. The countdown went and the gun sounded and off we went! I was so nervous and excited at the same time. I got to see Tyler, Kierra, Scarlet, Heather and Faith as I was running off. They were my encouragement for finishing this race!

During the race I knew there would be stations that had chocolate covered oreos and water. 1 mile in and there was one. I stupidly took a bite and thought I was going to have to stop running. I started spitting out the oreo while running and had the biggest mess all over me. I grab a cup of water and take a drink and almost choked. I am a newbie and should not have attempted to eat or drink while running. Lesson learned! I took the rest of the water and splashed it on my face to wipe the oreo mess off. So fun! All while trying to keep my pace. I finally got my breath back and recovered.

I was following the GPS on my phone the whole time. I wasn't really watching the road. Just some people ahead of me, but mainly at my phone to watch my pace. It said I was at 3 miles so I knew I had .15 to go and I would really push it with the sprinting I had practiced. Well, at that point I hear "go shayna!" I didn't understand why I was hearing that when I wasn't at the finish line yet. Well, my GPS was wrong and I was at the finish line. What a surprise! I finished at 28.36.

My goal was to finish in 30 minutes! I was shocked when I saw the timer while crossing the finish line. For my very first race, I had such a great experience. I learned that when you decide to do something you can motivate yourself and do it. No excuses. You will get sick, or get an injury and have to take a break, but the important piece of the puzzle is to not give up. Pick yourself up and keep going. I look forward to more races in the future :) I hope to inspire someone to do something out of their comfort zone like I did. It is very rewarding!

my Chocoholic Frolic - 5k Searchable Results results
^ my official race details! (September 28, 2014)

And now for some fun pictures! :)