Good morning everyone.  Today is a day of setting goals and with that in mind I took the plunge and just signed up for my very first 5K run!  This will be for the 2011 Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon and “Reaching for the Cure” Run/Walk for Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation to be held on May 1, 2011. 

Now that the rush of signing up is done, I’m kind of wondering…what have I gotten myself into?!  For many of you this may not be a big deal, what’s 5K right?  Well it’s 3.12 +/- miles and for someone who has never run that much in her life, to me, this 5K is my version of a half marathon.  Ha!  Plus I’m sitting here remembering how many times I’ve said to people that I’m not a runner, I’m a swimmer.  I love water.  I’m a Piscis.  Water is my element.  What am I doing committing to something I’ve never tried in my life?  Well, because life is about getting past fears and taking on new challenges and also because it sounded like fun. As much as I sometimes associate running with unpleasant memories I also have some nice ones I can grasp onto during this journey. 

The reason I’ve been put off by the idea of running as a sport is because for a very long time I have associated it with pain and injury, especially when it comes to races.  When I was in my early teens our home became host to a few of my dad’s childhood buddies who dedicated their lives to running marathons and one in particular being the Los Angeles Marathon.  It was during one of these visits that my dad decided to take up the sport as well and he ran a few marathons in his time.  I’m also very proud to say my mom and one of my cousin’s later ran the LA Marathon too.  The nice memories I have are of the excitement the day of the race and seeing family and friends coming together to cheer on all those who were taking up the challenge.  The bad stuff that I took with me were the countless people that I would see nearing the finish line limping, little blotches of blood on their t-shirt, and the anguished look on their faces.  How could this be fun?  As a young impressionable kid I couldn’t understand this, especially when I would see my own dad struggling toward the finish line on more than one occasion and then later that day seeing him in crutches and hurt.  This was the memory I chose to hold onto and associate with running. 

Fast forward a few years and here I am about to embark on my own journey with running and hopefully building new memories and appreciation for the sport.  One thing for sure is I will need to be disciplined and committed in my training and preparation for this because the last time I ran was a week ago Sunday.  It took me 30 minutes to complete 2.5 miles on the treadmill at the gym.  I want to be able to enjoy this journey and have fun and challenge myself and not get hurt.  The good thing is I will have the help of my running buddy, one of my best friends.  She inspired me to do this when she told me she had signed up for the the 5K run.  This is my same friend who I’m very proud of for running a half marathon a couple years ago.  

So for any of you runners out there who may have some helpful tips or advice or just want to share stories of your very first 5K, I’d love to hear from you. 

Wish me luck!