Last Place Runner

I have been running still, just not writing about it. Partly because Christmas and New Year kept me pretty busy, and partly because my job ends this month and I am freaking out proper about that.

On weekends I’ve started doing what I cleverly call a 5K for One. Either on the streets or on the treadmill, I put in at least one 3.1-mile distance on my own on my day off. And last week I did a 5K organized by my good old running coach. He called it the Commitment Day 5K and it was held on Jan. 1.

When we woke up Thursday morning, I knew it was cold. And it was a national holiday and we didn’t have to work, so I almost talked myself into bailing on the race. I’m glad I didn’t. I saw a few people I met in the running group, plus my mentor — the 3-year-old boy who ran with me during those first weeks of training. So I was actually really glad I went, just like I knew I would be.

The route took us through the grounds of the art museum and through two local parks. There were bagels and water at the finish line, too! But we were going out of town for the long weekend, so then it was a rush to get home, clean up, pack up and head out.

Needless to say, I paid dearly Thursday night for not stretching enough and not rehydrating. I could have drunk a bucket of whiskey and smoked three packs of cigarettes before bed Thursday night and I would not have suffered any more than I did. I guess sitting the car for 3.5 hours right after a race wasn’t such a great idea. Every inch of my body was misery. And I’ve never had a headache as bad as the one I had that night, unless you count the raging hangovers of my past. And that headache could have given those hangovers a fair fight. God, it was awful.

I’d gotten a really cool foam roller for Christmas, but I felt like I was bringing too much stuff with us for a weekend at my parents’ house, so I left it at home. But when we got up Friday morning, I had to go out and buy another one. Everything hurt.

After a few minutes with my new foam roller, I was feeling much better. I joined a local One Mile Run Club and all the other members were posting their mileage for the day on Friday. So I did eventually get a mile in on my mother’s treadmill.

My goal for the year is to keep running, of course, and to do one official 5K race every month. I’m registered for an 8K in February, but I don’t know that I’ll be ready for that kind of distance in six weeks. I won’t have to run it all, but I would really like to! After that race, though, I don’t have another race planned. With my job ending, and without another lined up, I really hate to start throwing down money for races or planning to travel to races when we will soon be without my income. My husband says I can’t let that keep me from my goals. But I can’t help thinking how race-fee money could go toward groceries some day.

In the meantime, I plan to do my 5K for One every week. And, if I end up with a lot of extra free time in the next few weeks, I will look at doing a 5K for One several times a week. I am also registered for a virtual 5K on Jan. 25 to run with Katie, one of my biggest motivators who inspired me to give running a try, on her birthday.

I read about RunningAHEAD on Katie’s blog, too, and I have been looking over their site this morning to map routes in my neighborhood for specific distances. I knew there had to be a good tool like that somewhere on the internet, but having Katie’s endorsement cut out a lot of trial-and-error research for me.

I plan to do my mile today during lunch so I can spend the evening catching up on laundry and settling back in after our weekend away. It’s also really freaking cold right now, so I’m going to start some chili in the slow cooker at lunch, too.

Even though it is cold, I learned the hard way how important it is to drink enough water. I only half-assed it the day before my race and really didn’t drink more than half a bottle of water after my race last week. But I will say that incident was all it’s going to take to make a believer out of me.