Running (and yoga)

I never thought of myself as a runner. I do yoga. That is what I am good at. However, when a friend found a 5k called The Color Run, I thought “Why not. It sounded like fun.” You run with a bunch of your friends and people throw paint at you, covering your whole body with rainbows of color. Check out this video. Looks more like a party, than a run.

So, then I found a free 5k that lululemon athletica  was putting on with free yoga after wards. That's what really got me (and the free part). I signed up with a few friends and then proceeded not to think about it much until about a month before the run. (I don't like calling them races, as I'm not that competitive and it's not as intimidating). I thought maybe I should run a little before the 5k, considering I haven't run a mile since high school. I found a 5k training schedule online and printed it off, ready to go. I had three weeks before the run and it was a six week schedule. I bought some new shoes and hit the treadmill at the gym. I started wondering what had I gotten myself into.

Then the day was upon me and I had two goals 1) Don't walk and 2) Finish around the 30-minute mark. Well, I didn't complete my first goal, but I did finish a just over 30 minutes (31:28 to be exact). And, considering one of my friends (who is a runner) said it was as difficult as the Hospital Hill run she just did , I felt pretty good. It was a hilly course and I got a side cramp halfway through, so I walked.

As I was running/walking, I was thinking to myself “You are doing this for you, no one else, so it's okay if you need to walk. Someone has to be last. “ Okay, I wasn't last and then I got a surge of energy. I made the last turn (saw Crate and Barrel) and knew the end was near. I told myself to just keep running. The cramp had ceased a little and I really was feeling good. I knew I could do it and it helped that I heard my friends cheering me on as a crossed the finish line.

The cherry on top was the yoga. Just with this one experience, I think all runs should end with a little yoga. It helps unwind your body and I felt great! Check out these articles about running and yoga.

MindBodyGreen

Yoga Journal

Runner's World

Everyday Health

I still don't know if I would call myself a runner, however I am going to continue. It helps to have a 5k as motivation and what a sense of accomplishment once you finish. 

Me, Jenny, Audrey