How to Train a Ticket Chick: Throwback to My First Race

#tbtstories - Starting line of the Crescent City Classic 2010

I've never really been a runner. Even though I was an athlete in college, I hated running. The college I went to had a required PE class that was referred to as "the mile and a half class" because that was what the bulk of your grade depending on, how fast you could run a mile and a half. I've never been fast. I did every extra credit assignment possible and prayed that I would "run" my mile and a half in a fast enough time so I wouldn't have to take the course again. (That was not unheard of.)

Many years after college, I was dating a guy and things were great. I thought I was in love, and we'd been together for a while, so I began to let myself go a little bit. I stopped working out every day. I stopped pre-planning my meals and counting my calories. I was definitely not packaging ziplocs with individual servings of Cheetos and Chips A-Hoys anymore. When this guy dumped me by telling me I wasn't "marriage material", I was devastated. It became a free for all as far as junk food was concerned. Before I knew it, I was almost 300 pounds.

One day, I decided that things needed to change. Since I wasn't in near the physical condition I was coming out of college, I decided that I would begin walking. Walking eventually led to me jogging a little bit. (A nice jog/walk combo.) I decided that I needed something to hold me accountable to this new workout plan I was undergoing and did something completely crazy. I signed up for a 10K. Not just any 10K, one that apparently is a Boston Marathon qualifier, so all of these crazy awesome runners from Kenya would be competing. Granted, it's in New Orleans, so there are also lots of people drinking their way through 6.2 miles, but it was a little crazy. I had never participated in an organized race before. I didn't have any friends who were entering the race. It was just me. HOLY CRAP!

I printed the training calendar that the NOLA paper puts out, and began to follow that training guide religiously. I also started taking some of the group fitness classes to help me get used to doing anything physical in front of other people. (I had found the hidden treadmill where nobody worked out at the gym so I could get my miles in without anyone seeing me.) Then the weekend of the Crescent City Classic came. My family came to NOLA to support me, and also my trusty pocket travel gnome, Maddox (who ran the race with me!) The race wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. According to my runner friends, I kept pace very well for a beginner. I even finished the race faster than expected! (It's not really a GREAT time, but for me it was still exciting. I'm EXTREMELY slow!)

I met some awesome people along the race course (as seen below), and "ran" in many more races after this one. The last race I did was almost 3 years ago (it was 4 months after I had my daughter) and I haven't decided if I'm going to get back into the racing world. My job doesn't leave me a whole lot of time for it, but perhaps I'll at least start getting some miles in a few times a week. I've set my workout calendar for next month to include some long walks, and who knows, maybe they'll turn into jog/walks. Until next time, enjoy some more pictures of me and Maddox participating in our first road race.