I did it, but I don't think I'll do it again!

I've had people tell me that once they've run a 5K it's addictive.  After the 5K, they train for a 10K, then a half marathon.  They run every event they can get to.

Well, I did it last weekend.  I ran with my sister and niece in the ZipperQ 5K.  It's a great charity to donate to.  A little boy in my town has FOP Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.  One of the rarest, most disabling genetic conditions known to medicine, it causes bone to form in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues.  ZipperQ raises money for research for this horrible disease.  So for that reason alone, I'm glad that I participated.

I've been jogging since May and for the last month I've been jogging 3.1 + miles 3 to 5 times a week.  I felt confident and in pretty good shape.  When I jog in my neighborhood, I don't have to stop and walk or rest, I can jog the entire time and it usually takes me somewhere between 43 and 46 minutes to complete (I never said I was fast).  My problem was the anxiety of running with people.  I had all these thoughts going through my mind like.  "I'm the only one here who has never done this?"  "Am I wearing the right clothes?"  "There going to laugh at you!"  Wait, that one may have been from the Carrie movie, but you get what I'm talking about.   Basically, I was a nervous wreck.  I sat in my car in the parking lot waiting for my sister show up because I was too nervous to get out and walk around with all the other "runners"...

The announcer says "5 more minutes!"  Everyone starts getting in line.  We stayed towards the back, we thought we were just in front of the walkers.  The gun goes off and everyone takes off running.  It felt like I was in a stampede...everyone behind us was running.  I'm not talking a slow jog, it was an all out RUN.  We finally got out of the crowd at about the 1/2 mile mark and I couldn't breathe.  I literally had to stop and catch my breath.   By the time we'd gone 1 mile, there was already a 16 year old boy coming back.  He ran the 5K in 16 minutes.  My niece was long gone, so it was just my sis and and I and about a dozen or so walkers behind us.  It was so hot, the sun was boiling my brain.  I should have worn sunglasses but since I'm used to doing my jogging first thing in the morning before the sun is barely up I didn't think about sunglasses.  My mouth felt like I'd taken about 3 or 4 big Tbsps of coconut oil mixed with Elmer's Glue.   We jogged and walked.  I think we probably walked the last mile and then once we were at the home stretch and the finish line was in sight we started running.  My time was 52.34 seconds.  I wasn't last, but almost.  I think there were 2 people behind me.  It didn't feel like 3.1 miles.  It felt like it was never going to end.  

I was so glad when it was over.  I stumbled my way back to the car and drove home to strip out of my sweaty clothes and hit the shower.

Yes, I'm glad I did it.  No, I'll never do it again.  I prefer jogging in my neighborhood, round and round.  It wasn't addictive, I'm not Jonesing to do another one.  Next year, I'll probably sign up for the ZipperQ, pay my registration fee, get the T-shirt and stay home!