Well, yesterday morning I ran my first 5k since I found out I was pregnant. I ran one the week before I found out, but this is the first race I’ve participated in since I have been aware of the fact that there is a little baby growing inside me.
I wasn’t planning to do the race. I didn’t even know about it until about 12 hours before it started. We drove down to VA Beach on Thursday afternoon to spend the long weekend with my husband’s family. Friday evening my sister Jodi called me to tell me about the race. She was in town just for the night on her way to the Outer Banks with her family and she was planning to do the race in the morning with one of her friends who lives here. I ran 5 sssssllllooooow miles on Friday and thought doing a 5k would certainly not be too much mileage for me and that I would just take it easy, enjoy being part of a race, and not worry at all about my time.
I woke up yesterday morning feeling tired, slow and puffy. A run might have been just what I needed. I thought it would be nice to bike to the start line which would have been about 4 miles from my in-laws’ house along the oceanfront. My 3 year old son had a meltdown at breakfast though (over the color of his cereal bowl!!) and this delayed me too much to fit in the bike ride so I had to drive instead which was no big deal especially since I was feeling so sluggish. The race started at 8am and it was already really hot and very sunny. The route was just up and back along the boardwalk so there was no shade whatsoever. I had fun though. My sister Jodi stuck with me the whole way and we ran around a 10:00 to a 10:30 pace the whole way coming in at about 32 minutes. It was a good experience for me.
I’m grateful that I was able to be a part of a race at 17 weeks pregnant. I’m really competitive with myself usually and this pregnancy is mellowing me out and teaching me so much about how to just be in the moment and enjoy what my body and spirit are capable of. Don’t get me wrong, I am REALLY looking forward to truly racing and pushing myself to my limits again after this baby is born, but for now this is where I need to be and it is a good thing. I like going to my “edge” and finding out what I’m made of…while pregnant this has nothing to do with speed but rather hones in on my inner strength, self-awareness and respect for my body and the miracle of life.
I haven’t decided what to do about the VA Beach half in a few weeks. I emailed the race director and they will not allow transfers or refunds at all unfortunately. My husband isn’t even so sure he wants to make the trip back here over Labor Day weekend and after all the travel that we have done this summer, neither am I. We’ll see though, I have time to decide and there is no pressure. I’m one of those people that believes whole-heartedly that what’s meant to be will always find a way…so I’m just going to let go of it and when the time is right I’ll make the right decision!
Hope everyone is having a great weekend and that your runs, races and time spent doing things you love with the ones you love has been renewing and fun for you.
