Running a 5K

Saturday marked my first 5K race ever!  I will admit that I am a bit strange....my very first race that I did was a half-marathon in October 2011.

I went into the race thinking that this would be easier than the half-marathons that I have done.  Then the race organizer described the race course as having "gentle, rolling hills".  Here is a tip, if you ever hear an organizer describe a course like that, get on your big girl panties because it is going to be a bumpy ride!  Needless to say, I need to work on running more hills!!!

The more I run, the more I realize that my asthma likes to play tricks on me.  The weather for the morning of the run was "no excuses weather", meaning perfect conditions.  It was 53, a bit breezy and sunny.  I should have been able to run it without any issues.  

Then my ornery asthma decided to play a trick....I hadn't even gotten to the 1 mile mark and I feel it.  That dry, tight, burning feeling in my lungs.  Take a hit off my rescue inhaler, which I actually remembered for this race unlike my two half marathons, and I begins to work.  


What I forgot for this race was a crucial element, water!  My hubby & I have come to the conclusion that even if I am going to get out and run 1 mile, I need to run with water.  So if you have asthma and find that you can do aerobic exercise indoors but can't even make it 1 mile without hitting your inhaler, try running with a bottle of water and see if it makes a difference.  I know it does for me!


Needless to say, I didn't do so hot on my 5K race.  I know that I can run 10:15 minute miles, but on this journey I ended up doing 12:53 minute miles for a total finish time of 40:02.  As is my philosophy in these races, I am proud I finished and that I had the courage not only to start, but to finish and not stop!