October 15, 2011, I ran my
first ever 5K race (run). It has been 11 months since my heart attack. I have
lost 70 lbs., I have started eating healthy (and loving it) I can not even
really eat junk food anymore. I have not had a cigarette since the hospital. I
also run about 4 miles a day.
After the heart attack, I was bound and determined never to go back to the hospital for my heart again, so I started walking (to get my body into shape) increasing to 3.25 miles a day. Then in March my Brother-in-law suggested that I run a 1/2 marathon... Yeah right?!?
But after a lot of noodling the idea, I tried to run a bit on my walks, I decided maybe I could. So I made the commitment to run in January 2012 (10 months away) a 1/2 marathon in Disney World.
So on March 21, 2011 I started my "training" for the 1/2 marathon in January 2012. I slowly started to run during my morning walks, until I got to where I was mostly running instead of walking. I have increased time, pace and distance to 4 miles a day at 14 minutes a mile.
So yesterday on October 15, 2011 I ran my first ever 5K race (run) for the Heart Association. It was for fun, and to raise money of course (which I did raise a little bit). But the most important thing was my participation. As I walked around the event before the race, I was in awe of what I was witnessing. Just 11 short months prior I was lying in a hospital bed (dying of a blocked artery). Now here I was standing amidst people who had suffered the same disease as me and those that were there to support us for defeating/surviving that disease; as we got ready to walk/run for surviving/defeating it. It was an awesome sight and feeling.
Praise be to God that he allowed my Doctor the time to get to me and fix it. I thank God for the kick in the butt He gave me that day to get up off my butt, to quit smoking, to start to eat healthy and to enjoy my life from that moment on.
My friends Jennifer & Michael came with me to support and walk with me. I can not express how much that meant to me.
As we were getting ready to start this run, I was getting nervous and excited, the adrenaline was pumping and I was feeling it. It was not a race to win, but it was a run to get me prepared for the 1/2 marathon to come. We were at the front of the pack at the start. They called for us to go and I took off. Jennifer was pushing me to get me ahead of the pack. Michael was beside me jogging with me (what awesome support and friends). I was flustered and not sure what was going on at the time. I was going to fast and couldn't breathe properly. Then I stopped in my mind. I said to myself "Robin, you can do this, you run 4 miles a day, and you have been running a 3k for over a month now daily. Calm down and do your thing".
So I took a deep breath, I slowed down my pace to even it out, I caught my breath and I started to jog/run correctly.
Then I hit the first hill, now the hills I run everyday are easy, slight angles I have to "push" myself to run up, but not bad. The hills on this run felt like going up a mountain, I was not prepared. But I DID NOT give up, I just pushed through. I did have to walk some, but I was good enough on my pace that my time did not drop dramatically when I walked. I also kept a fast pace on my walking. Now I have a smart phone, which I have a running app that keeps up with my pace, distance and time. I call her "Buffy" as I run; Buffy tells me at certain intervals how far I have gone and the time. So all through the race I knew where I was and how far I had gone and what my time was. I like this app because I know when I am about done. Buffy had given me my cue that I had .25 miles to go to the end. I was almost done, the race was about to be won, by me, I had accomplished something that in my wildest dreams I never thought I would WANT to do. As I rounded the corner to the finish I was so happy I had accomplished a running race for the first time in my life. It was a great day.
After the heart attack, I was bound and determined never to go back to the hospital for my heart again, so I started walking (to get my body into shape) increasing to 3.25 miles a day. Then in March my Brother-in-law suggested that I run a 1/2 marathon... Yeah right?!?
But after a lot of noodling the idea, I tried to run a bit on my walks, I decided maybe I could. So I made the commitment to run in January 2012 (10 months away) a 1/2 marathon in Disney World.
So on March 21, 2011 I started my "training" for the 1/2 marathon in January 2012. I slowly started to run during my morning walks, until I got to where I was mostly running instead of walking. I have increased time, pace and distance to 4 miles a day at 14 minutes a mile.
So yesterday on October 15, 2011 I ran my first ever 5K race (run) for the Heart Association. It was for fun, and to raise money of course (which I did raise a little bit). But the most important thing was my participation. As I walked around the event before the race, I was in awe of what I was witnessing. Just 11 short months prior I was lying in a hospital bed (dying of a blocked artery). Now here I was standing amidst people who had suffered the same disease as me and those that were there to support us for defeating/surviving that disease; as we got ready to walk/run for surviving/defeating it. It was an awesome sight and feeling.
Praise be to God that he allowed my Doctor the time to get to me and fix it. I thank God for the kick in the butt He gave me that day to get up off my butt, to quit smoking, to start to eat healthy and to enjoy my life from that moment on.
My friends Jennifer & Michael came with me to support and walk with me. I can not express how much that meant to me.
As we were getting ready to start this run, I was getting nervous and excited, the adrenaline was pumping and I was feeling it. It was not a race to win, but it was a run to get me prepared for the 1/2 marathon to come. We were at the front of the pack at the start. They called for us to go and I took off. Jennifer was pushing me to get me ahead of the pack. Michael was beside me jogging with me (what awesome support and friends). I was flustered and not sure what was going on at the time. I was going to fast and couldn't breathe properly. Then I stopped in my mind. I said to myself "Robin, you can do this, you run 4 miles a day, and you have been running a 3k for over a month now daily. Calm down and do your thing".
So I took a deep breath, I slowed down my pace to even it out, I caught my breath and I started to jog/run correctly.
Then I hit the first hill, now the hills I run everyday are easy, slight angles I have to "push" myself to run up, but not bad. The hills on this run felt like going up a mountain, I was not prepared. But I DID NOT give up, I just pushed through. I did have to walk some, but I was good enough on my pace that my time did not drop dramatically when I walked. I also kept a fast pace on my walking. Now I have a smart phone, which I have a running app that keeps up with my pace, distance and time. I call her "Buffy" as I run; Buffy tells me at certain intervals how far I have gone and the time. So all through the race I knew where I was and how far I had gone and what my time was. I like this app because I know when I am about done. Buffy had given me my cue that I had .25 miles to go to the end. I was almost done, the race was about to be won, by me, I had accomplished something that in my wildest dreams I never thought I would WANT to do. As I rounded the corner to the finish I was so happy I had accomplished a running race for the first time in my life. It was a great day.
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