I believe the two most important elements to be a successful runner is to breathe properly and the ability to get "in the zone" while running. Saturday October 3rd marked my first timed 5K run and I lacked both essential keys!!
Thinking back to Saturday morning:
* There were about 80 runners behind the running pad - some looking excited and some looking nervous.
* I heard "10,9,8....3,2,1". As I took off - I looked down at my shoe and thought "I should have tied my laces in a double not". Too late now.
* I may have started out too quickly - with all the excitement - trying to keep up with others.
*About .5K in, I was already out of breathe and wasn't sure why because I've been training twice a week and usually was able to run 7K until I felt breathless...
*At 1K my right shoelace came untied , so I quickly tied it in a double not (thinking about the beginning of the race) and kept on running
*At 2K I was offered water - but remembered the last time I ran and drank water at the same time - it wasn't pretty - so I gladly declined and kept on running.
*The turn around was at 2.5K and remember feeling happy that I only had 2.5K to run, but also discouraged because the first 2.5K wasn't my best
*The 3K mark I had a sharp pain in my side (which does happen to me occassionally), that tells me I am not breathing properly - so breathe deeply - in and out praying for it to go away.
*The last 1K was my chance to get back what I lost and I finally became "in the zone" ... nothing could stop me now. I was going to make it through and complete this 5K. If only I was "in the zone" right from the beginning!
Below are my stats - pretty good for my first 5K. When I get the photo from the finish line I will add it in. My goal is to now improve this 5K run! This is my benchmark.
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