Back Into the Running World

I know it's been a REALLY long time since I posted anything to this blog. I thought I was about to disappear from the blogosphere entirely until a fellow blogging friend, Sharon, stirred up that competitive spirit in me. She issued a 30-post challenge. I love the thrill of the competition, so I'll be posting more frequently again.

One of my goals for 2014 was to run a 5K. Thanks to the couch25k plan and a really supportive husband, I did it on January 18...almost four months ago!  Since it's been hard for me to get back into running since the birth of Matthew and Jonathan in 2011, my goal was really just to run the whole race.   But, in the back of my mind, I thought it would be really awesome if I could run 9 minute miles.  I tried not to tell anyone that part, though, to avoid bringing shame to the Mobley name.  I was really, really nervous about the race because I was recovering from a cold and was still congested. Plus, it was the first race I was ever in without David by my side.  I even tried to back out of the race the night before, but my running coach insisted I go even if I had to walk the entire way.

I am so glad that I went through with it.  It was definitely a positive experience.  There was no pushing or pulling.  The other runners seemed to be normal runners like me, not the super-fit, super-fast type. The course, although not scenic at all, was perfectly flat. I definitely won the prize for the best cheering squad with David and five kids encouraging me to the finish. Mary even ran the last little way on the sidelines with me! Crossing the finish line, I felt such an incredible satisfaction that I met my goal: I ran the entire race.  Later on, I learned that I even beat my goal of nine-minute miles with a time of 26:20.

So, now what's next? Well, although I'm competitive, I'm not really a race-lover, so I don't have another race scheduled. I would really like to work towards running a half marathon some day.  Realistically, that probably wouldn't happen for another five years, but I'm still trying to stick with a training plan that I found online, which includes two shorter runs, two cross-train workouts, and one distance run.  If I can ever find a triple jogging stroller for a decent price, I also want to help Mary and Maggie train to run a 5K.