Against the Wind

Our Stake is having its Olympics in just 9 days and we are going to run the 5k again. Last year I had a hard time, Ken and I finished the 5k, but we did more walking than running. I usually run on my treadmill, and I know that, for me, treadmill running is very different from outside running. I can run a 5k on the treadmill and feel great about it, and a few days later try running outside and not be able to make it 100 meters, let alone 5000. Since the route is going to be the same I decided that I would practice.

So last Saturday I left Ken and Baby J at home and drove down to the race site. I realized pretty quickly that this was not going to be an easy run. For one thing, the wind was blowing, very hard, from the north and as luck would have it the route starts with you running north. I kept telling myself that at the halfway point I would get to turn and then the wind would be at my back. When the wind blew so hard against me that I found myself running in place I told myself that I was burning extra calories, and that as soon as that wind was at my back I would be running twice as fast. And It was true. It is amazing how quickly you can run when you are being pushed along by a storm. Oh yes, A Storm. The entire time I was running North I saw what the wind was bringing, Huge, Dark Clouds, Swirling closer to me each moment. There was rain in those clouds. So as I made my way through the last half of the race route, I chanted to myself, "Beat the Storm, Beat the Storm". Within 5 minutes of reaching my car the downpour started. I beat the Storm! I had run against the wind, and I had won.

As I suspected I couldn't run the whole thing, I walked about a mile of the route (80% of the walking was done during the first half of the route), but I felt really good that I was able to run as much as I had. I decided that since I had two weeks I would borrow a running stroller, (thanks Shanna), and 3 days each week I would go run the race. So on Monday, Baby J and I went out and ran. My goal was to run a little farther and a little faster than I had on Saturday, but I would have been happy to be able to run the same amount- after all, this time I was pushing a stroller. I was pretty much ecstatic because, even though I was pushing a stroller full of child, I only walked a half a mile! On Wednesday we went out again, and this time I only walked a quarter mile. I have high hopes for Saturday the 29th.

Come run with me. Seriously. It's Fun.