Son Of A Bridge

by Kelly Milgie:

For those of you who read my last blog post, you may remember I have been training for my first 10K.  I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run 10K on March 31 and am proud to say I survived!  Though the day did not go as smoothly as I had hoped, after 01:06:40 and I crossed the finish line!

When my alarm went off at 4:30 that morning, I woke up excited and ready to go.  I had invested much of my free time training and the day had finally come. H3 @ Home Wellness Coach Amy Kelderhouse spent much of the morning reminding me to stay hydrated, eat breakfast and stretch.  It was about a half hour commute from where we were staying in Charleston to where the race began inMt.Pleasant. When entering Mt.Pleasant, I found out this race had 43,000 participants (a bit of information that Allison and Amy forgot to mention when they encouraged me to sign up for the race). They also failed to mention that we would begin running in waves.  The scheduled start time was 8:00 AM so around 6:30 AM Amy went up front to her wave and Allison and I got in line with our group.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but Allison did a great job distracting me until it was almost time to start. 

8:00 AM came and went and no one had begun running.  Next thing we knew it was after 8:30, and though there were announcements and music, no one filled us in on what was going on.  Long story short, my wave did not begin running until 9:30. By this time, I was hungry and a little discouraged but still excited to finally begin. 

The first mile was very smooth, taking Allison and I 09:40…. And then we hit the bridge, which to my disbelief was one mile uphill!  I had spent a decent amount of time training on the bridge here on Hilton Head, but it definitely did not prepare me for this! Another challenge I encountered was having to speed up to go around the people who stopped to walk or were jogging at a slower pace than I was (this is challenging for me to do in general, but running up hill made it even more difficult). To top it off, it was a rather windy day and we were of course running against the wind! Finally, we made it to the top of the never ending hill and I felt a bit of relief.  The rest of the race was spent trying to weave around the walkers and enjoying the entertainment that was taking place along the route.

When we finally crossed the finish line I had mixed emotions.  Though I did not have a specific time goal, I was hoping to be close to 60:00 and going over by 6 minutes was a little discouraging.  Then I allowed myself to realize that I just did something I had never done before and that is something to be proud of! Not only did I complete at 10K (without stopping to walk), one mile of it was up hill and the entire 6.2 miles were spent weaving around other participants.  I am pretty sure this was the hardest thing I have ever physically done but also one of the best things I have ever done.

After writing my last post, H3 Alum Lyle Orr commented that Amy and Jeff would have me running a ½ marathon before I knew it… Well Lyle, you were right – I plan to run the Disney ½ marathon in November – training begins soon!

[caption id="attachment_7743" align="alignleft" width="420" caption="Amy, Kelly and Allison the morning of the race"][/caption]

Have you enjoyed reading about Kelly's race exerience? Create a race memory of your own and join H3 Staff, H3 Alum and Hilton Head residents in this year's Devin's Dash 5K! Click here for more information.

Lasting Fitness Memories

This Saturday, the Annual Hilton Head Island Bridge Run takes place, and when I got the registration in the mail, many memories filled my mind.  This 10K was my very first running event, and it’s been an annual ritual each year since.  Having run a few races in between my first and second bridge run, it was surprising to me how much I recalled from my first run as I was along the route the next year.  I remembered the point at which my nerves dwindled and I settled into my pace; the exhilaration of seeing the first place male on their way back to the finish line, and even more the first place female (Go Ladies!).  I remember seeing another runner pass me, having already gotten to the turnaround, only for me to pass him again as he lost his breakfast over the bridge.  I remember the burst of energy I felt as I kicked in the last mile, and the support of my friend at the finish line, who’d encouraged me to sign up for it in the first place.

Since those first 2 years, I’ve ran this race six months pregnant, next as my first event post-partum, and here I am now, about to run it for a sixth time, this time being four months pregnant.  This event has become more than merely a race.  It’s the time in which I reflect on my life – what’s happened in the past year, what lies in the near future, and then also the imagination of what’s even beyond.  I reflect on everything from my fitness, my career, to my family.

I was honestly contemplating on not registering this year.  With confidence and energy running low, not feeling that I’m in as good of shape as I was the past two years even, I wasn’t certain I wanted to go through with it.  But when I think about how much more it means to me than just getting through 6.2 miles, I know I would regret not doing it even more than completing it at a slower pace. 

I share this story with you because, over the past few months especially, I’ve witness how truly meaningful events like 5Ks and triathlons have been for some of our guests at H3.  We have them on our program schedule from time to time, and even run a few private events for our own group.  Many of our guests arrive without a single thought of ever trying a 5K or triathlon… but here, they do it, they succeed at it, and they love it.  Whether it’s the competition, the charity, or the social aspect that turns you on to an event, it’s hard not to find something that you will enjoy about it.  As your mother always says, “Try it, you’ll like it!”

If you need a little boost in your workout routine, or want something to look forward to, sign up for your first 5K today!  You can go to www.active.com to search for events in your area, and we have resources here on H3 Daily to help you train to your best!  If you’ve already got a an event or two under your belt, share your story here.  See ‘ya out on the road!