In 2019 I ran three races. I was never really a “runner”, not someone that enjoyed the “high” of endorphins or the autonomy of running on your own, for me it was a battle against my own will. I quickly learned that running is not for the faint of heart, that running perhaps is a test of endurance and mental capacity, and mostly the test of behavioral momentum and your own self-will.
If you have never ran a 5k, let me describe how far that even is. I first thought it was the distance of FIVE miles. When an avid runner friend of mine explained, “no silly, it's about three miles”, I was relieved and thought, “oh that sounds easy”. Let's define a 5K further: the "K" stands for kilometer. A kilometer is 0.62 of a mile, which makes a 5K race 3.1 miles long or 16368 feet long or 5000 meters long. Ok, still doesn’t sound far, I can do this, after all, how long will it take me? According to Livestrong.com, the average 5K pace per mile is about 13 minutes for women and 11 minutes for men, resulting in finish times around 35 minutes. Apparently, more experienced runners may be able to keep an 8-minute mile pace, finishing their 5K in about 26 minutes.
Cue my first 5k - it was to support a local swim club, and it was their first community event. I wanted to support my community, (after all I am an elected official, and I thought, 2019 as my first full year in office, what better way to support my neighbors and learn endurance).
And then the training - oh, I didn’t really “train” for the race, after all it was only 3.1 miles, I have walked that far before, I am in pretty good shape, I could do it, (I thought), if just practiced running a mile here and there on the treadmill. So begins my behavior momentum training.
Cue the treadmill, have you ever ran on one? It is rhythmic, and you can even change the incline and speed, it has many features you CAN control, unlike running outside. So I used the treadmill to build momentum and change my behavior. By the way, treadmills are NOT like running outside. Running outside is HARDER.
Cue the race: on that Saturday in June, I woke up with a sore throat, feeling lousy and tired. I already made the commitment and didn’t want to bail, so I went.
The friend for behavior support: She told me how long 5k actually were, she warned me that running outside was different, I didn't listen, I was determined to do it anyway. My friend showed up to run with me, she had been running for many months and likes to do things her own way. There was excitement and uncertainty, I wanted to finish and I anticipated it would go fast, I mean how hard could it be? We did a high five and celebrated before we started, the group was pretty small and we had to run through our neighborhood. Right before we start, my friend turns towards me and says, “I may leave you as I have to pace myself, you got this, ok?” What? Leave me? I needed someone to encourage me, to push me, to talk to, I thought. “Ok fine, I am good, see you at the finish line”.
Twenty-nine minutes later, I finished my first 5k. Let me share how I got there. I started off strong, it wasn’t going to be that bad I thought as I looked ahead and many people (including my friend) were way ahead of me. The path was set with a few arrows, there were people running behind me and some even walking. About FIVE minutes in, I already felt winded. I stopped, and started walking -then a few kids started to run past me and they were having a good time, other kids were running with their parents, and even middle of the age women (like me) were running too. All PAST me. I told myself, run, go, don’t stop again. I felt hot, and somehow after the first block it was hard to breathe and I felt silly running, so I stopped again. I wanted to give up, sit down, and have someone come pick me up. People said HI as they passed me, and I felt peer pressure to start running again, so I did. Running outside is nothing like the treadmill, bumps, turns, hills, and the air is different.
Here is how I made it, I started to have a talk with myself, run until the end of this road, keep going until the next turn, keep up with the 10 year old running ahead of you, just keep going, you will finish this race. Here comes the behavioral MOMENTUM which Wikipedia describes as: “a behavioral metaphor based on physical momentum. It describes the general relation between resistance to change and the rate of reinforcement obtained in a given situation”. I found things to “reinforce” my willingness to keep going, identified the small wins along the way, a little at a time, and I increased my ability to move forward.
This 5k started to feel like I was not going to finish, I looked around for my friend, she was long gone. It was only me and my will to finish, so I kept going. Twenty-five minutes in, I saw the finish destination, it seemed so far and I just wanted to walk the rest of the way. Then I saw my friend ahead of me, people started to line the street to cheer for the runners, oh to cheer for me! I felt like I could make it, so I didn’t stop. My throat hurt, my body hurt, and I wasn’t sure I could keep going, but I did.
Twenty-nine minutes, that was my first 5k, I finished, I endured, and with a few stops along the way, self-motivation and the motivation of others, I finished.
There were two other 5k’s that year, both felt similar and different, and took me longer to finish, but I FINISHED them and realized that there is always another race to run, another goal to set, and there will always be a race to ENDURE. Even when I trained more than the last one, it was still hard, but I finished. My friends will be there to cheer me on, and family too. But I finished, one mile at a time.
In 2020 I planned to run FIVE 5k’s, that was my goal. Then a pandemic came. I stopped working out, I waited and wondered how the world as we know it will change. I ate comfort food, I went for walks with my boys, I stayed home. After several weeks I decided to run again, realizing I can’t wait for the world to be ready enough to run in, so I went outside, to practice endurance and behavior momentum again. I realized just as I endured those 5ks, I too am now enduring this race, one mile at a time, realizing that there will be many more in my lifetime I can complete, one 5k at time.
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