Here's the latest update on the Zombie 5k: there will be no Zombie 5k. I just received an email from Monster Runs saying the 5k has been cancelled due to a sinkhole. Seriously...only in Florida. This was not just a small sinkhole in the middle of the course somewhere. This sinkhole was large enough to close down the entire back half of the course. Am I upset? Am I demanding my money back? Am I overly disappointed? Uh...no, no, and no.
Don't get me wrong, I think it would have been fun and I would've been proud to check this goal off the list, but I have discovered that I am NOT a runner....not even close. The event itself would have been fun, getting chased by Zombies would have been scary and hilarious, hanging out with my friends at the after-party would have been a blast! But the actual running part? Not so much.
I have been in pain every single day since I started my C25k training several months ago. My old torn achilles injury, which never healed correctly, has been a consistent issue for me. But despite the excruciating pain, I still pushed through. I completed the C25k program, and then continued to work on building up my cardio by getting on the elliptical a few times a week. I tried running inside, running outside, running with special apps to make it more interesting, and I made the world's best playlists known to man, but alas.....I hated every second of it, if I am being honest. It hurt.
I was proud of myself after each "run" (read: fast jog), but I never successfully made it through an entire 3.1 miles straight....not once. I would always hit a wall around the 2 mile mark and could never seem to break through that. I literally could almost not walk some days after running. So no matter how proud I was of myself, or how encouraged I was by thinking of the end goal, I knew deep down that I was miserable. I was committed though. I was going through with this Zombie 5k come hell or ruptured tendon.
I always knew I was not a runner. I would tell people that I was not a runner and felt no shame in it. I never understood the point of running. It's painful, with or without an injured heel. Not in the good way either, like when you're sore after a workout. I'm talking skeletal pain. Shin splints, heel spurs, bad backs and hips bones, etc. For years, whenever I would see someone running down Bayshore, I would always think to myself "Um, okay....why?" Unless I am running to get the last pair of deeply discounted Jimmy Choos or I am being chased by an ax-wielding clown, I just don't see running in my future.
With that said, this journey is about branching out, being the best me I can be, trying new things, and breaking through barriers that are holding me back. I decided to change my mindset. I chose to think and act as if I were a runner. I got rid of the "I am not a runner" mentality, and I gave it a shot. You are what you say you are, after all. I would look at running sites, and window-shop for cute running clothes. I visualized running the Disney Marathon. I was excited....well, that is until I wasn't.
With that said, this journey is about branching out, being the best me I can be, trying new things, and breaking through barriers that are holding me back. I decided to change my mindset. I chose to think and act as if I were a runner. I got rid of the "I am not a runner" mentality, and I gave it a shot. You are what you say you are, after all. I would look at running sites, and window-shop for cute running clothes. I visualized running the Disney Marathon. I was excited....well, that is until I wasn't.
The weight wasn't really coming off as fast I had thought it would. I have lost weight, of course, but not enough to make it worth the excruciating pain I was putting myself through. It's a tricky situation. I needed to run to help get the weight off, but my extra weight made running painful and difficult. Imagine running while carrying a huge, cumbersome, 40 lb. bag of dog food. That's what it's like. You get winded, tired, and sore 10x faster when you are carrying extra weight on your body. Add a torn tendon on top of all that, and yeah...no bueno. Regardless, that's been my life the last few months. Oy.
Needless to say, I am not disappointed that the race was called off. Not even in the slightest. In fact, I am actually elated. The impending doom is finally over! The misery has ended! I can spend the time I would have spent running, doing something that I actually enjoy instead! For example, I have a lot of fun at Zumba and it burns crazy calories. I like swimming, and riding bikes, and I adore yoga. These are all realistic and sustainable forms of exercise for me. They are things I will continue to do for years, long after I reach my goal weight. That's the key to success for me.
In the end, I regret nothing. I knew running was probably not my thing, but I would have always wondered had I not tried. I am proud of myself for sticking with it, despite the millions of reasons I had for quitting. And you know, on day one of my C25k I was supposed to walk 5 mins, run 2 mins, then walk 5 mins again. That's it. I couldn't even run those 2 minutes that first day. I could only run 90 seconds. Now I can run almost 2 miles. So I have gained something from it all.
To my friends, family, and readers out there who enjoy running - you are truly strange birds to me, but you inspire me none the less. As for me though, in the future I will get my Zombie fix simply by watching the The Walking Dead....instead of just feeling like the walking dead.
To my friends, family, and readers out there who enjoy running - you are truly strange birds to me, but you inspire me none the less. As for me though, in the future I will get my Zombie fix simply by watching the The Walking Dead....instead of just feeling like the walking dead.
Onto the next challenge! Rock on.
