The Results

Greetings, motivated readers!

I hope you’re enjoying SpeedyFit and are already on your way to a leaner, healthier you!

Today I’d like to talk about my 5K. It happened last Saturday, May 19 and was quite the spectacle. Imagine 800 people milling around the Tampa Forum and you get the idea. I’m not much on big crowds, so it was a challenge. Despite my distaste for large gatherings, I was as prepared as I could ever be to run!

I woke up bright and early at 5:30am. I proceeded to eat a light breakfast and prepare myself for the event. My wife woke up a little later, and once she was ready to go, we headed downtown.

The weather was perfect. An intense weather pattern had just passed through, leaving us with some dryer air and cloudless skies. We arrived as the sun was peeking over the buildings, bringing that encouraging morning warmth you can’t help but feel energized by.

We found the registration tables where I received my number and time chip for the race. I attached the number to my shirt and began prepping for the run.

At 7:45 I made a decision that, looking back, I wish I hadn’t. My wife, being the sweet, supportive woman that she is, bought some Gatorade G1 to help give me that extra boost during the race. G1 is basically a syrup-like mix of carbs and sugar which can bring life to your muscles and provide energy for a workout or run. While I didn’t want to use anything “new” on race day, I also wanted to honor and respect my wife and her efforts at assisting me. For that reason, I drank the G1.

It didn't taste the best.

Apparently, you’re supposed to follow up your G1 with a healthy dose of water. You know, to move that syrup mix around and actually aid your body in absorbing the nutrients. Wouldn’t you know it, Speedy took only a sip or two and headed to the starting line, stomach full of intense sugar and carbs. 

Hey, I was confident.

Why, yes, I'd love to stand in a massive crowd at 8am....

Well, at about one mile, the left side of my stomach started cramping…bad. At a mile and a half, I could no longer maintain the strong pace I had started with. My first mile was just over 6 minutes. When I hit the second mile around 13 minutes, the right side of my stomach decided to join the party. At this point, I’m done. If I wasn’t in a race I would’ve stopped. The pain was terrible. My pace continued to wane as the pain continuously throbbed. I actually stopped to walk several times, praying it would subside. As soon as I began running again, the pain came back. Talk about disappointing!

By the time I made it to the final leg and noticed my picture-happy wife leaning out with her camera, I decided I must try my hardest to look professional and pain-free.

Not very convincing....

So, I ran my first competitive 5K in 26.30 minutes. Three days prior I had run 3 miles in 24.30 minutes. The G1 fiasco caused a two minute increase. Oh well. My goal was to run a 5K, and I did. That’s one goal accomplished.

The next race will be more successful.

Til then,

Cheers, and stay motivated

S