Event: Earth Day 5k Magnuson Park Series, Seattle, WA

Today was a really fun considering how much I was dreading this run last week. About a month ago I thought to myself “…you need to get back on track with your fitness. You’ve been neglecting yourself.”
This has to be something that happens to everyone, right? You wake up and suddenly you’re just one takeout box heavier. Maybe two. Life is hard and we often need to remind ourselves that we’re doing the best we can. When I get like this, generally it boils down to routine. For the past 3 weeks I’ve been waking up at 7am. I know I am trainable simply because I went to bed an hour early and woke up this morning at 6am… which is unfortunate, since it’s Saturday.

As I was saying, last month I had a crazy idea and decided it would be a lot of fun to run a 5k every single month until September. Seeing how it goes, and try and do a full year. My personality is better with short term goals to hit an overall large goal. It’s just how my persona works.

With that plan, my search for the perfect 5ks started. Then I began to wonder if my body would be able to handle a 10k. I’ve done a few 5ks in the past. There are so many competitors that go for the 10k, half, etc after running a few 5s. I know it’s a mental game and it would be a challenge.

So, back to my tale: up early, preparing for a run I was unprepared for and, praying my car would start, I left the house. Didn’t eat breakfast (my side will cramp) and didn’t grab a bottle of water (lost my mind), I set out to Magnuson Park.

This is my second Magnuson Park race. My recommendation is to get there at least 25 minutes before the actual race begins. It’s highly organized and everyone is very very friendly. It’s a dog friendly and kiddo friendly series. Parents often have their children participate in the morning dash but others have their children run along side them or push them in strollers. It’s family oriented. Who can complain about that?

My speed is slow. It’s debatable if I am running or jogging. However, my goal today was to make the finish line before 35 minutes. By mile 2 my heart was pounding and my shins started burning. The inevitable happened, I had to walk to slow my heart rate down. I allowed myself a minute and a half and pushed on. Running the inside corners and on the left side on the straights. Somehow, I finished today at 33:07.

My victory? 1 banana, 1 pear, 1 cup of water and a Douglas Fir tree to plant in the beautiful spirit of Earth Day. It was the first time, in a long time, that I felt like I had earned my meal.  My calves were on fire as I walked it off and stretched against an aged tree. It was worth it. At that moment, I realized that I had accepted my challenge: once a month.

In as short of words as possible, I highly recommend checking out the Magnuson Park series if you are looking for a nice, friendly and kind 5k. No one passes judgement. Everyone there is just trying to have fun and support one another.