Getting the Right Perspective

I am going to have to get better at staying on top of these posts...recapping last Friday and Saturday..sorry for the delay.

Last Friday morning started off with the routine 4:30am workout and weigh in (as mentioned in the last blog post) but continued to be an awesome day shared with my sweetie as we rode topless in the Jeep most all day. I had the day off from the real job, and David was scheduled to work all day but not in the usual fashion. We were set to participate in Convergint Day so we headed to his office by about 7am. Convergint Day is a day that is set aside by the company management on a day each year so individual offices across the country can commit to giving back to their community. David's manager chose for his group to volunteer at the Church of Christ Disaster Relief Center just outside of Nashville. The day seemed to go quickly as we labeled and constructed boxes then packed them with cans of Vienna Sausages. We took a lunch break  then wrapped up the day about 3:30pm. You might ask, "What does "WGIBTU?" stand for on our shirts?" It means...Whose Got It Better Than Us?  Just underneath it reads "Nobody". These are the T-Shirts that the company provided for the employees and their family members to wear on the designated day.

After we finished hanging out with the Convergint crew, we headed to pick up our race packets for the Hell or High Water 2012 race set for Saturday morning.

Saturday morning finally rolled around as we have been planning for a few weeks now. David and I awoke to the alarm as it sounded about 5am. Getting ready on Race Day never seems to get easier, because I always have a moderate level of anxiety despite trying to remain cool, calm, and collected. Really...why am I even the least bit nervous? With these races, I am not shooting to win them. I just want to support a good cause with a modest donation/entry fee (average $25) and finish the race in a decent time (which equates to at least the same or better time as the race prior). Oh, almost forgot to mention that the other important piece is getting that T-shirt that they promise you :) I have big plans for my race T-shirts once I get several more so I like to participate in the races that provide that little "carrot" for signing up.

I was able to set a new personal best for this 10K..Not because I was like a wild rabbit out there...more because it was my first 10K race. Before I share my results, I have to say that I had a major mind boggling revelation about 3 miles into the 6.25 that morning. As I thought about the reasons that I am working to lose weight and get fit, I came to realize that it is totally for ME and in my own time and my own fashion. Meaning...for the first time in my life, I have taken ownership of my problem with being obese and unfit and have made my own way in sorting it out. Before, I was always looking for that quick fix or that step-by-step hand holding that Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, etc. provide. If I missed a week for weigh in, I would find reasons why it was ok to just skip another and then another until I was back on the carefree, binge eating again. Since October of 2010, I have been steadily figuring out what makes me truly happy and what I need in my life on a daily basis to feel fulfilled. As the months have passed, I have figured out that FOOD is necessary but is NOT necessarily what brings me the MOST happiness. The essential ingredient in my "happiness" recipe is the exercise. But...even more so...sharing these moments of activity with my friends and family. The morning routines with my friends help each day start with a positive twist no matter how tired I am. And..the races are just not the same unless I have my sweetheart or kids with me. Signing up for those challenges is only the first step in making me work hard in between race days.

Along this out and back course in Metro Center for this 10K, I saw those runners that were set to finish the race in a fraction of my time. As I faced them head on along the out and back route, I made eye contact and realized just how focused many of them were on the competition of the race. Very few of them even made eye contact much less smiled and cheered their fellow participants as they passed by. So...as I made it to the turn around (approx 3.4 miles into the course), I realized that finishing the race was important and being able to say I beat my last pace would have been really cool. But...the idea of crossing that finish line side by side with my sweetheart seemed freakin' awesome. Can you guess what happened next?  Yep, I found a nice shade tree about 4 1/2 miles into the course, trotted to a stop, and paused the timer on my watch. Yes, I stopped my watch dead in its tracks and stood in the shade in the middle of a race. Knowing that it was a timed race, I was aware that the "official" finish time would be what was reported as I crossed the finish line but I really didn't even care. David was about 3 people behind me....or about 7 minutes. The other two ladies that were following closely behind me looked quite puzzled as they passed by me just standing on the side of the road. One even asked, "Are you ok?"  I stood patiently and waited for him to come closer...one foot in front of the other steady as ever. I didn't expect what happened next! As he approached, he was quite angry with me for waiting up. He knew that I was shooting for a good finish time, and he was upset that I had waited behind for him. As he came jogging by me giving me "down the road", I restarted the Garmin timer again and continued on. My heart rate was still in the 130s despite resting for almost 7 minutes. I was hyped up to say the least :) Not to bore you with details, I'll just say that after about 30-45 seconds of him venting, I ran ahead of him by about 50 yards so that I didn't have to listen to him harp on why I shouldn't have waited up. :)  I crossed the finish line next to last at 1 hour 20 minutes (according to the Garmin). There were just under a 100 (92 to be exact) that participated in the 10K and the best time was 40 minutes (pace 6:31sec per mile). David crossed within a minute of my time. Personally, I figure finishing "almost" last is still not bad since my average pace was 12:55 per mile for my first 10K. You will be relieved to know that David and I started speaking again by the time we made it thru the banana and water station and back to the Jeep. :)



The moral to the story..."Never lose sight of what you hope to gain from the race. Personal success is not always gauged by who crosses the finish line first."

Next on the "race" list is the 1 year anniversary of our participation in 5Ks. We are registered for the YMCA Maryland Farms Firecracker 5K on July 4th. I will definitely run this race for my best time (no stops). In fact, I am shooting for running the entire 3.125 miles for the first time ever in under 40 minutes.