Her Heartland Soul

Lovely Midwestern Living

I Did It! My Runner’s World 5K

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WOW! This weekend has been such an amazing one it’s kind of surreal to be sitting down to write this recap. Which is why there is going to be more than one post about my weekend at Runner’s World. 😀 Today’s post is all about the actual 5k itself. I will also be posting a recap of Friday’s blogging events (I already posted Thursday’s BBQ at Runner’s World headquarters), plus a post on all the cool companies we worked with, and then a totally awesome giveaway post that you are not going to want to miss out on! This weekend was so incredible I think it definitely warrants five posts. ;p

Saturday morning started bright and early when my alarm woke me up at 5am. After showering and getting ready at my sister’s house it was time to get on the road and get to Bethlehem. I ate oats in the parking lot for breakfast and then met up with Alec from Pop Fit Life to walk over to the race area. The weather was perfect for running, it was sunny and not too chilly.

I was SO excited! I tried not to psych myself out by telling myself that it was just another workout. When I run I run 5ks outside and in the gym so this really was something I was capable of. I just needed to get out there and do it and enjoy the experience! I LOVED my race day outfit. It kept me warm and dry and I felt super cute in it. It’s from Road Runner Sports and if you like it you should definitely check back later this week. *Giveaway hint* 😀

The start and finish of the run were by the Bethlehem Steel Stacks and it made for such an incredible backdrop. There’s so much history there.

I love the new Arts Quest center. There are real bathrooms in there which were great before the start of the race. There is also a Peeps and Mike and Ike shop since the factory for them is nearby. I was so proud of myself for staying away from that. I have a slight Mike and Ike addiction. ;p

A close-up of my bib. Wearing it made me feel so official.

I had my Sauconys on and a pair of Balega socks. They’re my first pair of real running socks and I love them. Good socks really do make a difference!

I got lined up in my corral and started to get really pumped up. The announcers were amazing, there was music blasting and the atmosphere was just great! I had no idea what to expect timing wise so I lined up with the 12 minute mile runners.

I brought my camera with me for the run but I ended up not using it. I was in the zone and didn’t want to stop to take pictures. The course was a beautiful one, with a few hills and lots of crowd support. At each mile marker there was a band playing which was just awesome. It was so great to be surrounded by runners all showing up and putting in the effort for a great experience. I never understood why people ran races but now I totally get it. The atmosphere is contagious. When I finished the run I felt a little emotional thinking about how far I’ve come in my running journey. I know it’s just a 5k but two months ago I couldn’t run. This was a huge deal for me.

Me with my finisher’s medal! I was SO proud. I don’t have a running watch to keep track of my time or distance so I had no clue what my finishing time was. I knew it was in between a 32 and a 33 minute finish and I was so happy. That is minutes ahead of my best run time before the race. The atmosphere really does make a difference. I was so glad this event was my first race, Runner’s World is phenomenal and they really knew how to run a race. You would have never guessed this was their first time hosting a race. At the finish line there were plenty of bagels, bananas, apples, and water. I also love that they gave out medals for the 5k. This is something I’m going to treasure!

Me with Tina of Best Body Fitness. I love this girl, she is so sweet!

Me and Jill of Fitness, Health, and Happiness. I was so excited to get to meet her! I got to run with her for a little bit towards the end of the 5k before she zoomed past me and it was so fun. She was pacing herself for the next days half marathon which I know she rocked. So inspirational!

A big group shot of FitFluentials with Bart Yasso and Dean. These ladies (and Harold!) are so inspirational it’s crazy. I left the conference feeling on top of the world. I am so lucky to be a part of FitFluential, it really has changed the entire way I look at fitness and health. Life is what you make of it, so why not make it amazing?

Me and Dean.

Alec and Karen of Run with Nutrition and I hanging out while waiting for Runner’s World to announce the winners of the races. Karen finished first in the 5k for her age group! She’s an incredible runner!

Karen and I had fun in the photo booth. Can you guess what our theme was each time?

After waiting for what felt like forever the results for the 5k were finally posted. I was so excited to find out my time!

I was SO happy when I saw my time of 32:35! That’s an average mile pace of 10:26. Last week miles were taking me around 11.30 minutes so this was huge for me!

After the run Karen, Alec and I headed to lunch. We were hungry and it was windy so we walked to the closest place that I can’t remember the name of now. It is connected to a hockey rink and looked pretty cool so we decided to eat there. I got a veggie and hummus wrap with a side of chips. It was really good.

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The three of us had so much fun hanging out and chatting over food. I wish we lived closer so we could hang out more.

After lunch it was time to say goodbye and for me to get on the road. Josh and I had a Halloween party we were so excited to get to that night so I needed to get started on my 4 hour drive as quickly as possible to make sure I made it back in time. Unfortunately by the time I got to Josh’s I was so exhausted we ended up skipping the party and I went to bed at 8:30. I was so bummed but Josh was so sweet and understanding. We have big plans for our penguin costumes next week! 😀

And while we didn’t get to the party we did get a run in on Sunday. Josh has running a lot lately too and is way better than me. I love getting to run with him and for us to cheer each other on. I get so proud when I see him run (really far in front of me) thinking about how we are taking such good steps to live long and healthy lives and how some day (years and years down the line) when we have a family we can be good influences on them to live active lives as well. When I was a kid movement was torture and I didn’t see the point of exercise. At ten I weighed eight pounds less than I do now and felt horrible about myself. That is not the type of message I want to pass on.

We ran a 5k around the neighborhood, with Josh completing it in 30:39 and me finishing at 31:30. (According to our phones.) Even faster than yesterday! This running thing really is contagious! 😀

Question of the Day: What was your first race like? If you haven’t run a race yet what is the first race you want to run? One day I am going to run a Disney Half Marathon in a tutu and my life will be complete. 😀

Comments

  3. Harold says

    Erin it was so great to meet you and I really enjoyed your enthusiasm for life and willingness to run so hard during the race :-). I look forward to the next time we see each other F2F :-). You rocked your race!!!!

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Aww thanks so much Harold! It was so great meeting you and getting to experience this weekend together!! And congrats on your races, you seriously did awesome!

      Reply

    • Erin says

      Thank you so much Christine!! I was so proud of myself for finishing so strong (and not needing the swag wagon ;p). This weekend was incredible!

      Reply

  6. Debbie@ Live from La Quinta says

    Congratulations on finishing your first race! A great time, too. Your outfit was very cute, too, by the way.

    My first race was a 10k here in La Quinta where I live. At the time I had never run more than 6 miles. I finished in 51 minutes, 4th in my age group and that’s how the running bug bit me. I just knew I could move up and earn a medal (they didn’t give out finisher’s medals for anything under a marathon back when I started racing :-)).

    Reply

  7. Michelle M says

    I have been waiting to hear about your race! I know how nervous you were =) I am so glad you had a great run and ‘caught the fever’! Congrats!! Sounds like an amazing weekend!

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Thank you so much!! It felt so good to accomplish something I wasn’t sure I could ever do and to feel like I did it well! The weekend was amazing and the run was so beautiful! I really hope to run another race within the next few months!

      Reply

    • Erin says

      I think we need to set a tentative Disney Princess 2014 race date! 😀 Thanks so much girl, it was so great meeting you!! I tried to comment on your blog but for some reason wordpress.com blogs are not my friend. i loved the video, you guys were so cute!

      Reply

  11. misszippy says

    Congrats! You did it! Glad you enjoyed the whole experience (the weekend was amazing, wasn’t it???) and that you are energized to keep training and racing!

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Thanks Tina! I know, I feel so lucky this was my first experience with running a race, it was seriously incredible! Hopefully we get a chance to meet up again soon!

      Reply

  16. Brittany says

    Congratulations! I recently ran my first 5k however it was a Survivor Mud Run and while it was SO much fun it was definitely not really a “race” more like a try to get out with serious injury race. Haha. A friend of mine is on the same track as you and it’s learning to love to run and you guys inspire me! I hope that I can feel the same about running one day.

    Reply

  19. Jenna says

    Wow!!!! Way to go!!! You should be so proud!! That’s a fantastic time, and I’m so glad that you enjoyed it to the fullest!!! You rock!! Spa love!!

    Reply

  20. Kat says

    So proud of you Erin! Way to kick off an awesome journey! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Balega socks, they are the only ones I wear now. I had a bad bout with blisters and never worry about that with them

    Reply

    • Erin says

      The socks are freaking fabulous! A pair will be included in my giveaway later this week! 😀 And thank you so much, I was so proud of the run!

      Reply

    • Erin says

      It was so great getting to meet you! I wish the event would have lasted longer so we could have hung out more! This was the best possible place I could have imagined running my first race, it was such an incredible experience!

      Reply

  31. Charlotte says

    how fun! I’m totally jealous. Wish I could have been there LIKE I WAS SUPPOSED TO .sigh… Oh well, next year for sure!

    Congrats on the race & running with the boy! 🙂

    Reply

    • Erin says

      I wish you could have been there too!! Definitely definitely next year!! And thanks so much, it’s so much fun running with Josh! 😀

      Reply

    • Erin says

      Thanks so much Katie! That means a lot!! Tina is so sweet, I loved hanging out with her. This weekend was PHENOMENAL! I left so inspired by life!

      Reply

  33. Angie @ Losing It and Loving It says

    You rock! Sounds like it was a great race and I’m so glad you got to hang with Tina.

    My first race was the Reggae Marathon half in Jamaica. Kev and I actually walked it (had planned to run it but I have some breathing issues and just couldn’t make it happen) but it was a cool race. Very hard but so proud to have finished.

    I wouldn’t mind walking more but maybe 5 and 10k’s over half marathons. And all races I would like to be in various countries (mostly Caribbean lol). That would be unique!

    Reply

  34. Pavement Runner says

    Congrats! Congrats! My first race was a marathon and it was a disaster, but I still look at it as one of my favorite races. Dean is amazing and so is Bart… glad you had some wonderful company, famous and FitFluential alike.

    Reply

    • Erin says

      The company was amazing and the course was beautiful! I couldn’t have asked for anything more. So awesome you can see the beauty even in disasters!

      Reply

  36. Ali says

    Congrats on your first 5K!! My first race wasn’t too exciting; a cross country varsity meet but my first Disney race was amazing! I’m hooked on Disney races now, and in no time you’ll be there running them too! (in a tutu of course!)

    Reply

  37. Jamie @ couchtoironwoman says

    Congratulations on a great race! Our first 5K my husband and I ran together, I remember feeling like it was one of the hardest things I have done. Now I’ve run a marathon and will be training for another and a half Ironman! I’m glad that there is more running in your future!

    Reply

  39. Rich says

    So proud of you … hard to imagine that 10 year old I knew in a 5K!!! My expectations will be high from now on!!
    Uncle Rich

    Reply

  40. Vanessa @ Running on Veggies in the Coal Region (Upcoming) says

    Give yourself a pat on the back!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    What was the Runner’s World race exactly – was it a 5k and a 10k or a 5k, 10k and a half? Still, it seems like it was smoothly executed and got great response. I want to put it on one of my future races to run! The Lehigh Valley is a wonderful health conscious area with quite a few vegetarian restaurants for people like us 🙂

    My first 5k was for Girls on the Run in Lancaster. I ran with my iPod but you’re right, the energy from the crowds was so contagious that I didn’t even need it. It does depend on the race and community though. My second 5k didn’t have much of an audience but a really great turnout of runners.

    Keep running! … and maybe we’ll meet up at a race someday 🙂

    Reply

    • Erin says

      Aw thanks so much girl! It felt great! The race was a 5k and 10k on one day and then a half the next. You had an option to do as many as you wanted, 800 people attempted the hat trick where they did all three! I can’t recommend the Runners World half marathon event enough, it was incredible! And the area is so beautiful in the fall, perfect for running!

      How awesome your first 5k was in Lancaster, that’s another gorgeous area! I hope we get to meet at a race someday, that would be so much fun!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. […] If you have been wanting to pull the trigger on a 10k I highly encourage you to do it! Fall is the best time for a race and you’ll be amazed at what your body can do once you put your mind to it. Josh and I are taking this race and the Zoo Run as a sign that we should be signing up for more 10ks in the future. It’s crazy thinking back and seeing how far I’ve come since my first 5k. […]

    Reply

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