10K Race Report by Daphne!

Readers will surely recall that very inspirational post by Team Triumph member Daphne, about training for her first 10K.  Well, Daphne completed her race and lives to tell.  I’m sure you will join me in congratulating her on a race well run!  Take it away Daphne…

I completed my first 10k today. I really enjoyed it and I’m pleased with my finish time which was a bit faster than my best training runs even with the fact that the second half of the course was much hillier than anything I had ever run before. (It helps to have a coach to put your training program together!).

But as I shared in my other guest post, although it is important to me to do the best I can, the races for me are not about my finish time. They’re about an opportunity to access raw positive emotions that are not always available in the routine of my daily life. Joy, pride, exhilaration, gratitude. You know, the good stuff.

Here’s one of the memories from this race I’ll carry forward with me:

I had anticipated that I would feel emotional at the point of the race where the 5K runners turn to the finish line and the 10K runners continue on. It was one of the things that motivated me during the training. And indeed it did feel great to recall at that moment that just three years ago I was struggling to finish my first 5k without walking (really struggling!) and now I was cruising confidently past that mark.

Just as I was drinking that in, I noticed a little boy, about five years old, standing with his parents cheering on the runners, his arm outstretched, shyly holding out his hand for a “high five.” So cute!

I gave him a high five and he broke out into a huge grin. Remember what I shared about the thrill of being a participant and not a spectator? I’m sure that little boy has forgotten me, but I’ll remember him for a while.

Here’s my ode to Emily:

Without her blog, I don’t think I would have run this race today. This is why: Note in the accompanying race photo that the temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit, I’m wearing a short-sleeved shirt, a running skirt, and no leggings. From the outset, one of my biggest barriers with exercise, particularly running, has been dealing with feeling hot. It makes me extremely anxious and managing that anxiety has been an ongoing challenge.

In the past, I’ve managed it during the winter months on my home treadmill by arranging multiple fans to blow on me at once and by pouring water over my head (yes, really).

In the spring and fall months, I would run outdoors and stash water bottles along my route so I could pour water over my head (yes, really).

I live in the Northeast of the U.S. where it gets humid… not Israeli coastal plain humid, but still plenty humid. The late spring and summer months have naturally been my most difficult challenge. One I have not been particularly successful at meeting. Last summer, for instance, I abandoned my running routine completely and tried Zumba. I thought I could keep my same fitness level with Zumba and pick up where I left off with running in the fall. Wrong.

This year, around mid-May, on cue, my anxiety started to return. How to get through the summer? How not to repeat my past negative pattern?

Then I read Emily’s blog post, Non-Negotiable. I’m inspired by most of Emily’s blog, but her message in this post was one that really spoke to me. And I started doing something I never, ever (ever!) considered as a viable option.

I started getting up at dawn to go running. Dawn as in… 5am.

At that time of day it was just cool enough that I could tolerate it. And here’s the kicker about running at sunrise. Turns out I loved it!

I stayed realistic. I didn’t overdo or try to improve. And of course there were mornings where I would wake up feeling anxious and not want to get up and run. But my non-negotiable was to get through the summer months running three miles every other day. And that’s what I did.

In late July Emily formed Team Triumph and invited others to choose a race. Hmmm. I tucked that in my brain but wasn’t ready yet.

It was late August when the weather started to turn. I had gotten through the summer and I was still running. By now I had momentum on my side and I committed to train for and run the 10K.

And that’s what I did.

Thank you, Emily. Shine on!

And thank YOU Daphne for being so inspirational!  When I read about someone else’s experience like this, it really motivates me in my own training as well!  5am huh?  Sounds like a great idea!