My experience of running my first 5K race.

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Hello once again. This is Brad H. coming back at you. I hope that anyone who reads this is in good health and spirits. This is a post that I've been wanting to write and update for a little over a week now. However, due to some circumstances and the receiving of some terrible news regarding a family member, I'm just now getting around to doing it. I guess I will stick to the saying "better late than never" in this case. On March 10, 2012, I done something that I had previously never done before; I had run in my first 5K race. Some of you are familiar with my previous blog postings. This had been a goal that I had been wanting to accomplish for awhile, and I was finally able to complete it. Now that the experience is over with, I want to take some time to reflect upon and share how special it was to me.

Race bib and timing chip. I thought it was cool that they had our first name on there. I wasn't expecting that.


The day before the race was a tense day for me. I honestly was not nervous leading up to this day, but that soon changed. The race was taking place at 8 a.m. in the morning. I live about an hour away, so I had to leave early to get there. I went to sleep around 10:30 that night. That's when the anticipation of the event honestly began to affect me. I tossed and turned an hour just thinking how things were going to go. I fell asleep for a couple of hours, and soon found myself awake again. After 30 minutes or so, I dozed back off. My alarm went off at 5 a.m., and I knew the time had come. Me, my mom, and sister got on the road around 5:45 a.m. Upon arriving I noticed there was a lot of traffic. It was clear to me that this was a major event, and I was happy to know that I was a part of it. This is when the nervousness that I felt earlier began to fade away.

Me before the race took place.


I parked around 7:30 a.m. This gave me 30 minutes to prepare mentally for the race. Around 10 minutes to 8 a.m., the announcer called for all participants of the 5K to come onto the course. I stepped out on the course amazed at how many people were doing it. Those of you who have followed my post know that I was aiming to do the race in 30 minutes or under. This was another thought going through my mind as I waited for the start. With a minute left to go, the countdown to the start began. At exactly 8 a.m., we were off and running. I felt a great sense of joy and happiness running with hundreds of people who were all headed in the same direction as me. Sure we all had different reasons for being there, but we all had the same goal in mind, which was to finish.

On the first mile I started out passing people and getting passed up by some as well. There were people of all ages, body types, and fitness levels there. I had my mp3 player on with a variety of different songs to keep me motivated during the race. By the time I reached the 1 mile marker, I noticed the volunteers at the first water point. I quickly grabbed a cup of Gatorade while I was running. Here is a tip for those you planning to run in a race. Slow down while drinking out of the cup, otherwise most of it will end up on your face or shirt like it did mines. Things were going great, but by the time I reached the 2 mile marker I began to fatigue. I really got away from my game plan going into the race. The goal was to push it on the second mile or third mile, but the adrenaline of being there got to me. I pushed too hard on the first mile and wore myself out. However, I continued to soldier along.

With about half of a mile to go, it was obvious to me that I was beginning to slow down. I noticed people that I had previously passed catching up to me, and some were beginning to go past me. I grabbed another cup of water at the final water stop and continued to run along. As we all began to come towards the finish line, there was a female volunteer standing at the last turn on the overpass who really inspired me. She was encouraging us all and gave us all high fives as we passed her. I began towards the finish line and got excited when I saw the crowd there cheering us on. No matter how tired I was, I was determined to finish up strong. That's when I saw my mom and sister cheering me on. I reached down for what strength that was left in my legs and I finished the race. I was very fatigued, but felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Photos I took after I finished of the start/finish line.




After I finished, a volunteer cut off my timing chip from my shoe. I went and got myself a banana and some water, and then went to find my mom and sister. I stayed around a bit to cheer on others finishing up the race. A few minutes later I went to the screen to see my time. To my great delight, I had reached the goal I set for myself. My chip time for the race was 29:43, which meant that I finished in under 30 minutes. I finished 163 overall, and 15th among the 30-34 age group. I was very happy and satisfied with my performance. After leaving the event, me and my family went to IHOP to enjoy a well deserved breakfast.

I really enjoyed running in my first 5K race. It was definitely an experience that I will keep close to my heart. The volunteers were great, and the people who set-up the event were excellent as well. I want to thank everyone at the Gusher Marathon, Half-Marathon, and 5K for allowing me to be a part of it. They are truly wonderful and encouraging people. I will definitely be participating next year if everything goes well. My personal goal is to run in the half-marathon next year, so we will see how that goes. As for the immediate future, I want to do another 5K race, and then run in a 10K in November of this year. That gives me a few months to train for and get ready for that also. Running in my first 5K race was the best way to start out my birthday weekend. It was also the greatest birthday gift that I could have given myself. I want to thank everyone who gave me encouraging words. They definitely did not fall on deaf ears. I also want to thank the "Couch to 5K" running program. I wouldn't have had the confidence to do the race without it. I can't say thank you enough to you all.

Well that's it for this time folks. I will continue to keep you all update on my future running endeavors. I hope you enjoy the few pictures that I posted on this post as well. I'll be back again soon writing, so stay tuned. Till then peace, love, and blessings to all.

First official 5K run is upcoming. Lets get it!

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Hello everyone. It's Brad H. coming back at you once again. It's definitely been a hot minute since I've updated, but here I am again with a special announcement. I've actually been wanting to write this post for about a week or so now, but I've been caught up with a few things. I'm glad that I am finally getting around to doing it. First off, I want to say that I hope everything is going good with all who reads this. Hope you are reaching and accomplishing any and all goals that you've set for yourself so far. Me personally, I'm focusing on small goals and small steps like I mentioned in a previous post. However, I have taken the first steps in achieving a goal that I've wanted to achieve for a long time now.

If you follow my blog, you know that I went through and completed the "Couch to 5K" running program in late 2011. I officially graduated from the program on December 3, 2011. If you aren't totally up on this, you can check out my previous posts on this topic. Upon completing the program, I announced that I was looking to run in my first official 5K race. Well I'm happy to announce that it's now that time. I registered for the "Gusher Marathon, Half Marathon &5K" race about a week and a half ago. I'm officially in! I will be running the 5K portion of the race, and I'm very excited about it. It's taking place March 10, 2012, which is the day before my birthday. Running in and completing this 5K is going to be the gift that I give myself for my birthday. There is no amount of money or material gifts that can compare to being healthy, which is something that I am continually striving for.

The race is taking place about an hour away from where I live, so I will have to drive there on race day. I will have several family members who are going with me for support. I will be picking up my race day packet sometime next week. As far as preparation goes, I've been running and preparing for the race. I've already scouted out the course, and I've also purchased myself some new running shoes strictly for this race. They should be here in a few days. I plan on getting in a lengthy run in the next couple of days, and probably a light run on Saturday or Sunday. Next week will be the week of the race, so I think I'm going to take it easy and rest. I only have one real goal for this race, and that is to finish in 30 minutes or under. If for some reason I don't, I won't complain if I'm a minute or two over 30 minutes as long as I run the entire time. There are going to be a couple of thousand of people participating in this race, so it's going to be exciting to run with so many people.

I want to thank everyone who has left a comment or gave me any type of support in achieving my running goals. The time for the race is almost here, so it's time for me to get in my zone and be focused. I will try to take plenty of pictures on the day of the race to share with anyone who reads or follows me. The time is here folks and it's going down on March 10th. I'm the type of person who likes to finish what I start, so I will finish this journey. Well that's it for now. I hope to be writing you again soon, maybe a day or two before the race, but you will definitely hear back from me after it. Thanks again for the support. Peace, love, and blessings to all. Lets get it!

I'm a "Couch to 5k Graduate". Week 9 review.

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Hello once again. It's your boy Brad H. coming back at you once again. Well we have finally reached the end of my journey to finish the Couch to 5k running program. After 9 weeks of doing the program, I am happy to say that I am officially a graduate of the C25K running program. My final run of the program took place yesterday on 12/3/2011. Now that I think about it, I completed the program on the day of my ex-girlfriend's birthday. Isn't that something lol? I am going to give a brief review of how the final week went.

My day 1 run took place on Tuesday at the park. I knew that I had a 5 minute warm-up walk followed by 30 minutes straight of running. I kept telling myself that I only had two extra minutes to run, since week 8 were 28 minute runs. Day 1 was challenging, but as I progressed into the run I felt stronger. When the podcast told me that I had about a minute left, I picked up the pace to reach the 3 mile marker at the park. It was hard, but I was able to do it. I felt a great sense of accomplishment. The last time I ran three miles straight was in 2008. I was so excited, that I thought I had graduated already. The way the podcast was talking, I thought I was completely done with the program. However, when I got back home and looked on the website, I found out that I had two more days left. I definitely got ahead of myself lol.

Day 2 took place on a Thursday. Instead of running at the park, I decided to run the streets around where I live. This is always challenging because the terrain changes. There are a few small hills involved, which is a good thing since it makes it harder. Now day 2 was a special day. This was the day that I knew for a fact that I was going to graduate. For some reason I felt really good running this day. I didn't feel as winded as day one, my legs felt stronger, and as corny as this may sound; I felt like a superhero. I finished up day 2 strong, and even ran about 30 seconds extra. I was excited knowing that I only had one day left before becoming a graduate of the program.

Now onto the third and final day. Like I mentioned earlier in this post, I done this run yesterday. This day was a bit different since I decided to record various points of my run. If any of you have been following my Youtube channel, you know that I have been documenting my progress on the program. I recorded the beginning of my run, the 15 minute mark, and the final minute. Day 3 was more challenging than day 2, but I finished up, and thus I officially became a graduate of the Couch to 5k running program. There were no words to express the joy that I felt inside. I knew that I could complete the program, but I didn't think that I would be able to do 3 miles in just two months. This program definitely works.

For anyone interested in doing the C25K running program, trust the program. There will be times where you may feel like you can't run the required distance, but you can do it. This program will not put more on you than your body can handle. It's been a journey that I almost hate to see end. However, there was a nice lady on the Couch to 5k Facebook page who told me that graduating from the program is just the beginning of more challenges. I'm definitely going to keep those words in mind. As of right now, I am going to continue running. I don't know if I will be doing three miles on a regular, but I am thinking about writing out my own program. I plan on participating in my first 5k race in March, so I have a few months to get ready for that. The C25K program definitely helped me. It has given me the confidence that I had lost in running. It allowed me to know that I am capable of anything if I push myself. Anything can be overcome with a strong will and mind. That can be applied to life in general.

Well that's it everyone. This will probably be my last post on the Couch to 5k running program. I thank the people who took the time read read and follow my journey. I will keep you all updated on my running ventures, and if I participate in the race that I'm aiming for. I also want to thank everyone on the Couch to 5k Facebook page. There are a lot of inspiring and kind people who gave me much encouragement. Also thanks to anyone on Youtube who posted their journey on the program. That inspired me as well. Well till next time, peace, love and blessings to everyone. I'm out!

Couch to 5k. Review of week 6.

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Hello once again. It's Brad H. writing again, and this is Brad H's Perspective. Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying life. I had been meaning to write this blog post several day ago, but we all know how life sometimes gets in the way of us doing things. However, I'm back again, and this is another C25K blog post. The last time I wrote regarding my progress on C25K was on November 7th. I had officially finished up week 5 of the program. Week 6 for me took place last week. First there was day 1 of week 6. This day had a 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by 5 minutes of running. Then there was a 3 minute walk, followed up by 8 minutes of running. Finally there was another 3 minute walk, which was followed by a final 5 minute run. Then of course there was the 5 minute cool down period. Day one was another challenging day. However, it was a bit more easier than day 3 of week 5. With that said, we got it done and went onto day 2 of week 6.

Day 2 of week 6 was another cold and challenging day of running. It consisted of a 5 minute warm-up walk. Then there were two 10 minute runs with a 3 minute walk in between them. Those were followed up by a 5 minute cool down. After putting in the work and effort, I was able to finish this day up strong. One thing I want to point out is that I like running in the cool compared to the heat. However, the cool air always gives me a running nose while I'm running. I never had that problem when I was breathing entirely through my mouth back in the day. When I run now, I breathe entirely through my nose. I'm going to have to do some research on breathing techniques that would suit me.

Finally, there was day 3 of week 6. I knew for a fact that this was going to be the most challenging day of all the weeks up to this point. This day had the usual 5 minute warm-up walk, followed by a 25 minute run. NO WALKING! I almost didn't go running on this day. I left the house and started my warm-up walk, but I noticed dark clouds in the sky. I figured I could beat the rain, but I started feeling sprinkles coming down. I decided to head back to the house. While heading back, the guy on the podcast announced it was time to run. I said to myself I might as well go for it. I mean what's the worst that can happen other than getting a bit of rain on me? So I got into the run, and a few minutes into it I knew that it was going to be tough. I had to reach deep inside of my spirit and soul to continue going. When the guy announced that I 4 minutes left, I was relieved. I kept pushing forward at a comfortable pace, and I was able to finish the 25 minutes of nonstop running. Definitely a great feeling afterwards.

So now that I'm done with week 6, we are onto week 7 now. I'm going to do day 1 of week 7 later on today. I believe that week 7 is 25 minute runs the entire week. I haven't downloaded the podcast yet, so I'll know for sure then. I know it's going to be challenging, but I'm up for the challenge. Another thing I want to mention. If you are interested in following my journey, check out my Youtube channel. I can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/prospectboy?feature=mhee. I've been making videos on my progress, so that's another way to see my journey. Well that's it for now. I will definitely be writing soon on my C25K journey. Hope you all keep staying tuned. Till then, peace love and blessings.