225+ Miles and 1 Year Later ... I AM A Runner!

A year ago it was just an idea. Another one of Ronda's crazy whims. Nobody expected it to last long at all. But I was determined to prove the naysayers wrong! Why couldn't I be a runner? Lots of people do it. Sure I couldn't even run around the block, but maybe some day I would!

And thus, on September 13, 2009 a new runner was born!

It began with a pair of Nike shoes picked up at the outlet store, a cotton t-shirt (what???), and some Danskin spandex shorts that were a whopping $7 at Wal-Mart. My sports bra was one I bought back in college and had a couple holes worn into the back of it. I uploaded a C25K podcast to my U2 iPod, shoved the iPod in my bra, and went out every other night just to prove to myself that I can do it!  Only a week or so into it I signed up for my first two 5K races - one of which was all the way in Florida! If I had to pay to fly and stay in Disney World, I couldn't possibly slack on the training. It was a great motivator!

It has been the best year! I've felt better overall about every aspect of  my life. It has had highs and lows. Pretty moments - and not so pretty moments. I've met new friends at races, plus discovered all of you cool bloggers out there!

Since I love me a bullet list so much, let's just break it down. All of it. The good, the bad and the ugly!

Let's do the bad and ugly points first - get the icky stuff out of the way!

• October 2009 - went on vacation to Orlando. Didn't run that week, but sure walked a lot. I was excited to get home and pick up where I left off since I was over half-way through the C25K program. What I didn't plan for was getting the Swine Flu - most likely picked up on the flight home to Oregon. I was out of commission for weeks and went into the first 5K without finishing the program.
• March 2010 - My internal temper tantrum. Stupidly I felt embarrassed at the Fit For A Princess expo because I didn't have a backpack like the 1/2 marathon runners. I ended up buying an awesome ESPN backpack so I wouldn't have to be seen carrying around my pathetic clear plastic goody bag was that was lacking in goodies.  
• May 2010 - after an awesome race I felt on top of the world. Went home and decided to run over 4 miles the next day. Welcome to hip bursitis. For the entire month I could only run maybe a couple miles each week. I had to lift my left leg just to put my foot into my shoe. So much for training for my 1st 10K at the end of the month!
• July 3, 2010 - CRACK went my toes! I tripped walking up a step on a deck causing my toes to immediately start bleeding and changing colors. This was about 12 hours before 10K number 2.
• August 7, 2010 - under-hydrated, humidity, going too fast, the smell of a seafood restaurant and Thai restaurant merging together ... my first time vomiting at the finish line. (Okay, really - this is a proud moment!)

The Good!

• I finished that first 5K race, and really impressed myself with how well I did considering it was 27º out, I was terrified and I was just recovering from H1N1!
• I achieved my goal of running the entire Royal Family 5K without stopping to walk at all. Best feeling ever!!
• I used the disappointment in my 5K Disney goody-bag and turned it around, deciding right then and there that in 2011 I would be one of those 1/2 marathon Princesses!
• I had, for me, an awesome PR and actually passed by people while running up a hill. I still haven't beaten that time!
• My friend and I ran in the Great Urban Race ... and the crazy route we ended up doing looked like a wiener!
• With everything going wrong for 10K #2 I did the best I could, beating my prior time by 3 minutes - and not bleeding through my socks all that much! And the course? The beginning 2 miles were CRAZY!! (see Garmin results below!)
• 
   
• I never gave up! Now, a year later, I am completely addicted. I know I am not the fastest, but I have faith that eventually I'll be a little quicker. I'm not out to break records, just my own!

The Stats:

• Completed five 5K races (4 road, 1 trail)
• Completed two 10K races (1 road, 1 trail), with #3 coming up this weekend
• Raced in 3 different states (Oregon, Florida, Washington)
• Finished the Great Urban Race for a total of 6.78 miles
• Grand total of 8 races in year one!
• 2 pairs of running shoes, 8 running skirts, tons of cute shirts. Bye bye cotton!!
• 1 new iPod Nano, Nike+ sensor, Garmin Forerunner 305
• 2 new sports bras .... I REALLY need to make this number higher!!
• 225 miles since getting the Nike+ sensor in January 2010! I am still in awe of this number!!

After my first race - 35 minutes!