Frigid 5-Mile Run

Yeah, you better believe I'm going to blog about this. Definitely filing this post under the "accomplishments" label.

So everyone pretty much knows about my recent weight loss and how health and fitness have taken a much higher priority in my life. I'm not going to lie. I'm still incredibly proud of all that I have achieved in a little over a year. Like I've stated in many posts, I've had the support of many friends who have encouraged and provided me with much needed insight and direction. This morning, I finished my first run ever, a 5-miler, with a time of 47:57 at 9:49/mile and I could not be any happier with the results.


I was never a huge fan of running growing up. I can still remember running the dreaded mile back in middle and high school with terrible, horrible, dreadful times. I assumed the position of fullback when I played rec soccer simply because I didn't have the stamina nor the endurance for the forward of halfback positions. My first foray into cardio was my time with Dance Dance Revolution or DDR as us cool kids call it. But even back then during my skinniest years, running 2 miles was the best I could ever do.

Flash forward to January of 2009. I had just stepped foot back into the wellness center and I had the support of my best friends literally pushing me around the indoor track. I can still remember exactly how I felt dreading each excruciating step and every single turn. I used to flat out dislike outdoor running. With my severe allergies, running outdoors always meant a bad case of the sniffles. But now - I just cannot get enough. The Winter season has been incredibly tough on me simply because I can't stand running in the cold. I finally broke down and invested in a few thermals which have helped a tremendous amount but still... with the weather that we have been experiencing lately, I feel so confined indoors.

I typically average about 3 to 3.5 miles per run which includes a short intermediate walking break. This past Sunday, I somehow pushed myself up to 3.9 miles running around the indoor track. Now like I've said before, the indoor track is challenging in its own right. 5 miles on the track is the equivalent of 60 laps. 60 laps equals 240 turns. That's ridiculously tough on one's ankles and mentally taxing. No bueno. But I put up with it simply because I cannot emphasize how much I can't stand the cold. Especially with Oklahoma's wind. So on Monday, I hear about the 15th annual Frigid 5 from a friend. I know a few fraternity brothers training for the upcoming half marathon were going to be running the Frigid 5 so I figured it would be a good opportunity for me to step into the wonderful world of races. Frigid 5 must mean a 5k, right? Since I usually average approximately 3.5 miles every run - I felt it would be a great fit for me! So I convince another fraternity brother of mine to sign up. Yeah. Frigid 5-mile run, the pamphlet says. I find this out 2 days before the race. I'm dumb. It totally throws me off. I feel both mentally and physically unprepared. And so I somehow manage to power through a 5-mile run indoors. Yes, 60 laps. Yes, 240 turns. Yes, it hurt.

So the day of the Frigid 5-mile run arrives. I wake up around 7am since the race starts at 9am. I call up my friend who's running with me to make sure he didn't bail. And what's the perfect way to prepare for a race? The answer to that question is to stay up incredibly late singing karaoke with your friends. But I digress. We finished. The race felt exhilirating. Being my first, I didn't really know what to expect from it. I did my best to keep a fairly even pace. We were a bit late getting to Mitch Park and so I was running behind pinning my number, attaching the sensor chip to my laces, and setting up my iPod with Nike+. So unfortunately it only logged 4.5 miles since I started running while selecting a play list, haha, but I swear I ran the entire run! I was expecting the worst - people passing me by but the friendly atmosphere of the crowd felt wonderful. Everyone was very courteous of one another and extremely encouraging. The temperature was a cool and sunny 36 degrees. Right after my run, I was shedding my clothes left and right because I was burning up the entire time. And then it got cold again, haha. So I ended up beating the time that I set earlier in the week by a good 5 minutes!

Big ups to The Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, The Chemical Brothers, Chris Brown, Christina Aguilera, and The Far Easy Movement for getting me through today's run! (Apparently I forgot to shuffle my running playlist.)

I'm a happy camper. I feel really proud of what I have accomplished and that's that. Oh yeah. Pictures.

Fraternity brothers.

 Finishing a race smells like Christmas.

Oh, the shame of walking.

Thattaboy.

Finishing a race bro-style.