Race Recap!

So, our first 5k has come and gone and we learned a lot from the experience.

We approached the day having done very little in the form of training. Ira went to Israel at the beginning of June and both of us went off the tracks as far as diet and exercise were concerned. That pattern continued when he got back and we halfheartedly tried to get back on track before the actual run, but didn’t really succeed.

Nevertheless, race day came and we decided we were 100% committed no matter what. We headed to the Distillery District really early on Sunday and picked up our running kits and wandered around doing stretches and preparing ourselves for the run. It was very easy to get excited and pumped up with crowds and crowds of people getting ready alongside us. We lined up and took off at the starter pistol.

We did a combination run/walk – more walking than running because I got the dreaded side stitch about five minutes into the run and it stayed with me the entire time. I told Ira to go off and do his best but he was stubborn and stuck by me the whole way. I know he could have done so much better alone, but he supported me like he always does and reminded me what a good partner he is. We finished the run together in about 45 minutes, which is long for a 5k, but a great starting point to our future runs together.

Some of our key takeaways from that day are:

• We really enjoyed the whole experience and competitiveness of the day
• Being prepared can make a world of difference, but being committed and not  backing out shows strength of character
• Learning from our mistakes is important – next time will definitely be an improvement
• We are doing this for us, and for the right reasons and we will do it together
• We definitely want to do this again!!

We are planning on doing the Zoo run at the Toronto Zoo on Saturday, October 16. That leaves just 12 weeks to get our butts in shape. We are hoping to shave 10 minutes off of our 45 minutes, so let the training begin!

~Lisa