I FINISHED MY FIRST 5K!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

To give a little history on what got me to this point:

Last January,  I began the Couch to 5k training program, counting calories, and blogging about the experience. Everything was going great. I had a 7 month old at the time I started, and weighed right at 300 lbs. By the end of February, I was almost up to regularly jogging 3.1 miles and had lost almost 30lbs! Then, very unexpectedly, my husband and I found out we were pregnant again.... it was a shocker because I was still nursing my 8 month old and taking birth control religiously. So, I was devastated, and instead of continuing to eat healthy/run/workout... I shut down ,stuffed my face, and packed on the pounds. I have had very, very difficult pregnancies with my first two, so I was dreading this one, and had a really hard time coming to grips with the fact that I was going to have 2 kids under 2, and I felt like all of my dreams of getting healthy and running were out the window. 

Fast forward.. I had my sweet Oliver Wyatt this past October 2013. I adore him, and can't imagine my world without him, but adjusting to all the changes has been very difficult. This past year, my 5 year old started kindergarten, J.D. turned 1, and I had another baby. I'm also a full-time high school teacher. 

January 1, 2014, I decided it was time to start this whole weight loss process again, now that I'm not pregnant, and am for sure done with pregnancies :) So I started with the healthy eating habits first, and for a month and a half, kinda half-heartedly  stuck to that plan. I also started the couch to 5k program again. The first 2 months, I didn't do great on any of it. It's been really hard for me to find a schedule that works to work out, where my husband is willing to take care of all 3 kids, and where the timing fits with my nursing schedule. I still nurse 6-9x a day (baby is 5 months old). 

By March 1, though, something in my mind changed and I decided instead of just saying I was going to get healthy and lose weight, I set goals. Short goals, instead of just the "I need to lose 100 lbs" goal. So, my first 2 goals was to run a 5k by the end of April. In that goal, I wanted to run it in under 45 min, I didn't want to be the last person to finish, and I didn't want to stop or walk any of it. My other goal was to lost 25lbs by Easter. 

On March 10, I registered for my first 5k for April 12th. My husband decided to do it with me, and we decided instead of going to the gym, which was too difficult with kids, we would go to  a park or somewhere where the kids could play, and we'd take turns running while the other watched the kids. For the first 2 weeks, the most I could run was 1.5 miles... SLOWLY... and I still felt like I was going to die. I had no clue how I'd be able to get to 3.1 and I only had 2 weeks left before the race. So on a Sunday, I decided that I was just going to do it... do the whole 3.1 and see what happens... and I did! I did it in 46.24. My legs were super sore the next day, but other than that, I felt great (and proud). 

I've been running 3-4x a week, but doing between 2-2.5 miles. The next Sunday (the last Sun before the race), I did another 3.1 miles and did it in 42.46!!! 

So yesterday, it was 5k time. I was SUPER nervous. Several times I almost talked myself out of going. My biggest fears were that I would be the slowest and fattest person there, and that the "fit" people would look at me and think "what is she doing here, she doesn't belong here." I also have MAJOR anxiety about large groups (we're talking more than 3-4 people groups haha) of people/strangers. So we got our number and then sat for an hour waiting for it to start. They gave us ankle wraps that had something on it that tracked our time. During that hour, several funny things happened:

1. The announcer said that when we line up, anyone that thinks they will finish the race between 16-18 min needs to get up front. LOL I would finish a mile around 14 minutes if I go fast for me, so the fact that people will finish the entire 3.1 miles 2 minutes after that, was ASTOUNDING! 

2. We watched 2 guys run the entire course, about 20 minutes before they actually ran the course for real. No joke. And there wasn't a bead of sweat or ounce of redness in their cheeks. 

3. I looked around and saw lots of girls, in particular that looked EXTREMELY in shape..... by that, I mean they were skinny, and wearing actual athletic clothes (I'm still too big to buy real athletic clothes that are skin tight). And I thought, "I don't belong here." 

Thankfully, I didn't feel like people were judging me though, which was nice. And my husband was super supportive. 

Ok so the race started at 2. The course was through this retirement community/neighborhood. It was 85 degrees, sunny, and no shade. We had been running pretty flat courses, and in the evening when it was cool... plus... the last 3 weeks, it's been in the 50's. So, for me.. it was super hot, and super sunny... neither of which I had mentally prepared for. I also feel like I have to have layer upon layer of clothing to cover up my fat, so I was WAY overdressed. They also had one water station... 1.5 miles into the course (and that was it). The hardest part though, was that the first entire mile was uphill (they had warned us of that)... it was fairly steep, but there was not break to the incline... constant incline. The part they didn't warn us about was that at 2.5-3.0 miles, it was straight uphill.. major incline.... There were times where mentally, I wasn't walking, but I'm sure it looked like I was... i was moving my feet as fast as I could, and was barely getting anywhere. 

BUT I FINISHED! I NEVER WALKED and I NEVER STOPPED! And more importantly, I got over my fear of signing up for 5ks. I also found out that a lot of the girls that looked "athletic" or "in shape" were neither. I passed more people than I thought I would. There were a lot of people that started with a bang, and then were walking/panting halfway through it. I was amazed by the true runners though. It was laughable.... we were almost to the 1 mile mark on the large hill, and there were people coming down that hill finishing the last 10th of the race. That's amazing to me, how fast and in shape they are. Something to strive for, that's for sure. 

I finished in 46:20. I wanted to be under 45, but with the large hills, and the sun/heat... I'm just SO proud. I know that on a flatter course, I will be faster and as I continue to lose weight, it will get easier. Also, I have size 46DD boobs (that were also full of milk because I completely forgot I'd miss a nursing session, and didn't pump)... so it'll be SO NICE when I can run and not have that issue. 

I'm signing up for my next one in June! My goal is that within a year, I want to do a half marathon. The feeling I got when I crossed the finish line was just amazing... I teared up... and just felt so proud. That at my weight, I'm still accomplishing things. 

OH! I'm also 5lbs away from my Easter goal! In November 2013, I weighed 320lbs, and I'm currently at 269lbs! 

Pictures: Paul and I before the race, me finishing the race, and us right after the race.