5 Kilometers Later...

Before I get to all of the details, let me first start off by saying, I did it. I ran the 5k and I finished. Whew.

Despite some poor choices the week leading up to the race, I was still able to conquer the odds and put in what I consider to be a pretty decent effort on my part.

Remember when I posted a few days ago saying I was going to kick it into high gear to make up for lost time? Well, turns out my problems of being disciplined have ventured into other areas of my life as well. Basically, I ran the day after I wrote that post and then not once more the rest of the week. I ate like crap - I made brownies and ate all of them except one and I ordered macaroni and cheese at McMenamin's the day before the race and got super sick from it. Basically, I set myself up for disaster.

When I started the race, I was positive and amped up. (I mean, it was also my half birthday!) Here is a picture of me with my friends Woo and Brian before the race started.

Brian and I did the 5k together and we started off strong. We crossed that START line and even skirted our ways past several crowds of people that were just going way too damn slow. Brian and I got separated after a couple of minutes (to be expected in a race, I suppose), but I was still going strong on my own. I was still passing people and kept nodding my head in agreement with the race-snobs who kept shouting, "Walkers to the right!" since they really were in the way of us 'real runners'.

I was getting pretty tired, but was still hanging in there. I reached the turn-around (half way - 1.55 miles!) and walked for about 2 seconds, pretending that I was just having trouble getting around the cone. Then I picked up the jogging pace again. This is when my brain gave out on me. I was over half way through the race now and my head was telling me to stop (ditto my legs and lungs). However, my inner voice kept saying "You can do it!" and "Go, Michael, go!" And then my inner voice mutated itself into my outer voice causing a tinge of embarrassment to overcome me once I realized I was talking to myself.

Then, out of nowhere, there was board that read, "2 Mile Mark" and that did me in. Now, for most people, this might be a motivator - "2 miles - I'm almost done, I gotta keep pushing!" However, for me and at this point, it totally ruined my chances of running the whole way. I thought to myself "2 miles - Damn! That's a lot/that's enough." So, then I made my way over to the right so I wouldn't piss off the snobs and started to walk. I counted out 60 seconds very slowly (so slowly that it probably amounted to 2 minutes rather than 1). Then I saw an older woman pass me (darn), then a high school boy wearing Converse hi-tops (what?), then a seven-year-old (shit!) and that's when I started running again.

I turned a corner and there was the FINISH line. It seemed so close so I started to sprint. I looked up about 15 seconds later and couldn't believe how far it still was - it looked so close just a moment ago! But I was not about to be that guy who walks his way across the finish line, so I hoofed it and pushed it into high gear. I felt like I was going to trip over my legs, and then I felt like I was going to puke, and then I passed the line and immediately just started walking and trying to catch my breath.

I did it. With a stomach full of macaroni and brownies, I did it.

And here's the proof: