Running the 5K aka The Stupid Thing of the Day

I must be trying to kill my baby. I ran a 5K today. And it’s not like I’m some kind of athlete who runs three miles at the drop of a hat. I do run from time to time, and three miles isn’t going to kill me but I absolutely did not train for this race one little bit.

I signed up for it way before I knew I was pregnant with the idea that it would kick me into gear and get me running again. I have a friend who lost 30 pounds just because she up and decided to run every single race she came across. It’s a great way to get motivated. She’s so motivated she got me motivated just talking about it. So she signed me up too.

The day of the race got nearer and nearer and I didn’t have the motivation to train because I’ve been feeling pretty peaked but I didn’t have the guts to drop out either. So I decided to run it anyway. I mean there are all kinds of mothers who don’t even know they are pregnant yet and they’re doing drugs and smoking and who knows what else, and their babies survive. I figured I’d just take it slow. Worse case scenario, I walk the whole thing. That’s not going to kill me.

What I didn’t count on was that it was going to be fun! I didn’t count on feeling competitive with all the other women running. I didn’t count on the neighbors along the route playing inspirational music full blast and cheering me on. So many people were clapping and yelling out “Go 704! Go 704!” as I ran by, all red in the face. I couldn’t let them down. So I ran. I ran the whole dang thing and I didn’t puke once! I actually felt better than I have for days.

Near the end I kinda made a buddy with another girl. Both of us were running slow. She says, “Not bad for a Smoker, eh?” and I answered back “Not bad for being eight weeks pregnant either.” She gave me an incredulous look and asked me if my doctor knew I was doing this. Nope, I haven’t even seen a doctor yet. We discussed it for a good minute and both agreed that the baby would probably be okay. But I do fully intend to inquire about the 5K and the food poisoning and the 3rd degree sunburn and the cold/flu from hell. This poor baby is really getting a rough introduction into my life.

At the same time maybe this is a good start for my baby and my new role as a mother. I was so impressed by a few other mothers that were running with strollers. One mother had her five-year-old and eight-year-old running right along with her. In fact all three of them kicked my butt! I want to be that kind of mom. I want to be that mom running with a stroller. I want to run with my kids someday just like my dad used to run with me. It’s a great way to start life.

Hopefully, I haven’t ended this little life before it even gets a chance to start. I’m home now and I feel a bit tired and achy but the aches are in my legs just as much as they’re in my gut area so I think this baby is going to pull through. In fact I have these achy feeling all the time even before I ran. Every day I wake up and expect to miscarry and every day there’s no blood. We’re just hanging in there, this baby and me.

But seriously, I do intend to take it easy from now on. No more 5K’s.