I Ran A 5k!

I ran a 5k on Friday in under 38 minutes for the 250th 4th of July celebration! This week, I want to talk about my experience running and the accessibility of the 5k.

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I wanted to do a 5k to start off my half-marathon training (more info on that to come in the coming months). I have been distance training by walking up to 13.1 miles, and have slowly started increasing how long I can run. I am very grateful to be able to celebrate movement in this way, because 6 months ago I couldn't walk from my room to my bathroom without blacking out. While I haven't specifically trained for this event, I have been slowly prepping for longer distances. This race is my starting point for my half-marathon training. I'd like to be faster, but I'm also just happy I can sign up for community events like this with other people who also want to get out and walk or run.

My biggest issue was lung endurance, which was a nice surprise because I had assumed my issues would be more leg-related with my HSP. When I am running, I have noticed my biggest issue is making sure I lift my feet up enough so I don't trip. I have ankle-stretching and strengthening exercises to do, which will hopefully help. Taking on larger fitness commitments has been eye-opening- not only do I need to train, but I need a stretching protocol, nutrition plan, and not gross electrolytes (I am still trying to get into electrolytes). While I have been putting in a lot of effort to get stronger, I didn't know how I would do at a race because I've just been practicing at parks and creating routes around town.

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Accessibility

Most of the race was paved. There were some minor hills throughout the course, which I did not remember when I did triathlons here as a kid. Going downhill was great! Going uphill was a lot less great. The entire route was clearly marked, with water stations at the 1-mile and 2.5-mile marks. Strollers and dogs could easily participate. For the most part, the trail was wide enough that I didn't get stuck behind people, and I only faced one obstacle (a child falling in front of me, which was obviously much worse for the child). However, anyone in a motorized wheelchair is probably not able to navigate the hills, even though the website said it was accessible. To avoid clustering, the race was divided into three groups: fast runners, joggers, and walkers. I started in group 2 to jog part of it and ended up running for 2 miles. Overall, I give it a 4.5/5 because of the hill issue. However, this was the first time this race was put on, so hopefully the accessibility will get better as they learn from this year.

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Community

Before the race, I got to watch a herd of geese race to the duck pond, which was slightly comical. In terms of people, all the volunteers were friendly, and those who showed up seemed to want to be there. People wore red, white, and blue for the 4th of July (I had blue and white; I tried), and it was a fun start to the celebration my local city put on for the weekend. Some local businesses came out, and the race company sold merch (I bought a running tank top for my half-marathon training!). While I didn't talk to any strangers, I did like how supportive the whole environment was.

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Overall Finishing Stats

I am not fast or competitive, but this section is for those who are curious about my timing before training. I had an under-12-minute-per-mile pace for my first two miles and finished in (barely) under 38 minutes for my chip time, and I think 38:15 for my clock time. My goal was to be among the first 150 to finish, and I succeeded! I used Map My Run to track my distance, but I have a fitness watch on the way that will hopefully replace it. I do not know how many people are in my age group, so that place means close to nothing to me, and that is not why I run at these events.

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If you have any fitness training tips, especially for long distances, please reach out! I am training to finish, but I want to keep doing more community races and get faster. I have also been doing strength training and want to add variety. I feel like I keep saying this, but I honestly didn't think this would be an option for me because it's not presented as something that is possible in many of the disability communities I'm in for HSP. Thank you for following along on my fitness journey as someone with a physical disability; hopefully this is just the beginning! If you have any questions or comments, please comment on the blog, reach out at @Anniekrollblog on Instagram or Facebook, or email me at Anniekrollblog@gmail.com. I hope to see you next week!