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| 2011 - #3 Run 5K |
Anyone that knows me, understands
my reasons for not liking to run. Plain and simple. It hurts. It's
always hurt. Being born with two club feet, with one surgically repaired
with a metal pin still inside, and under developed lower leg muscles, I
hope you can understand the reasoning for the hurt. It is a hurt that I
have carried with me my entire life whenever I've played sports, or
have been physically active. Like any other person, my legs have their
good days where I feel like I can run forever, and those not so good
days, where I just want to stay off of my feet. Most days of my life
have been somewhere in between, but yes, with that hurt.
[Blog side note: DP devotees know my story, but for new readers, a doctor told my parents that physical activity was out of the question for me in my life. Safe to say I've carried those words with me as motivation for my entire life.]
After making my way through Graduate School, where part of my degree focused on physical and exercise science, I learned not only what causes the pain, but how I could suppress some of the intense pain, and strengthen the weaknesses in my lower extremities. I also learned how to run. Yes, I learned how to run. When you gain an understanding of not only how, but the reactions and benefits of adding a running program into your training/exercise routine, it is well worth it.
A year ago, as noted in the 2010 edition of the Dome Pondering Year in Review, I began applying many of the things I learned in the classroom to my workout routines. Slowly but surely, not only did I realize how much I loved working out when you know what you are doing, but looked to expand my once basic routine. Gone are the days of repeating drills and motions in sets of threes. Here to stay were dynamic plans with new concepts that made each workout different, challenging, and new.
And as running slowly became an enjoyment, I looked back on my days of playing baseball in college, especially my senior year, where nothing about running or being physically active was enjoyable. After what I later found out was a torn ligament in my foot, I battled through foot problems, which spurned further knee issues, and ended up compounding with the already natural leg issues I was behind the 8-ball with at birth.
I now look at that year, and it kills me to think, if I only knew then, what I know now.
Nonetheless, as part of the mild 2011 bucket list, running a 5K was one of the further reaching goals. It seemed doable amongst all of the craziness that has been 2011, and something that would further motivate me. Not to mention, for a guy like me, running 3.10 miles anywhere, anytime, in succession, is a major accomplishment.
On October 21st, 2011, mission accomplished.
Now I didn't run in any races. I've been looking at 5k races in the area all year in an attempt to get into one, however, the timing was never right. With a floating summer-weekend work schedule and needing an appropriate time to train, it just didn't seem feasible.
Yet, as we close in on November, and 2011 nearing an end, I looked at this goal and really wondered, why not just run it on a treadmill? Sure, it's not outdoors in the natural elements. Sure, it's not an organized race with a fancy finish line banner and time clock. Sure, I don't get to wear a cool sticker with a whole bunch of numbers to make me feel important.
But, why the heck not? 3.10 miles, is 3.10 miles, right?
So yes, after
a few weeks of training (even though not as much as I would like), I decided to run the personally created, D-Robo 5K run. And on October 21st, yours truly laced up his pair of Nikes and ran 3.10 miles in 34 minutes and 6 seconds.
Not a big deal to most, but to me, it's just another jab at a doctor who once said I'd never be able to.
And yes, a clear example of with age comes knowledge.
If I only knew back then. If I only knew...