As you may have seen from my Active Norfolk post, I was training to run the race for life 5km in Norwich. I started off with a time of nearly 43 minutes and with my weekly training sessions I brought this down. The week before the race I did the 5km in around 37 minutes so I wanted to beat this on the day. I received my pack about a week before the race so dressed myself in pink and added some temporary tattoos.
I arrived at the Norfolk Showground alone but then saw my friend Kim’s mum who was running the 10km race so it was good to have someone I knew there. James, my boyfriend and photographer for the day, drove me down there to stand by me. I did the race alone as I was asked to attend by Cancer Research UK to provide me with some blog content. The atmosphere was amazing and there were so many ladies lined up to race. We had some motivational speeches before the race and got to hear from some real survivors – people who have beat cancer. The Norfolk Showground was a sea of pink and I felt proud to be taking part. Even the dogs had dressed up for the occasion! I headed for the joggers section. I have never ran 5km before without stopping so I was determined to try and jog for the whole race.
There was also a 10km race on this day, something I would love to build up my fitness levels into doing. I had to make sure I went the right way! The first 1km was nice and easy as it did take a few minutes to get past the start line. The 2nd km was slightly harder. I kept thinking I must have missed the sign and I’d soon be seeing the 3km sign.. but that wasn’t the case. I kept going, refusing to stop. I thought about how strong all the ladies that have been through cancer treatment are and what they would probably give to run a measly 5km instead of going through all that pain. It kept me going. There was a point in the race where I had to just have a break and walk about 4.5km in. I then went around the corner and saw the finishing line so did a sprint finish to the end. It was great to have everyone cheering me on as I ran through the finish line!
On the day I completed the race in 35 minutes and 4 seconds. For me this was a huge achievement as it was my personal best time and the furthest I have ever ran outside as my previous 5km training was done on a treadmill which to me is easier. I was given my ‘medal’, a packed of Kettle’s crisps, a chocolate chip brioche bun and a bottle of water. I then sat down on the grass to catch my breath.
I had such a great sense of achievement afterwards. My first 5km done! I urge anyone who is thinking about taking part in Race for Life to do so. This was my first one and I did it alone but I think it would be great to get a group of ladies together and do it as a team to raise lots of money.
I raised £150 for Cancer Research UK so thank you so much to Dad, Carol, Chloe, Sabrina, Ruth, Anna, Bethany, Yvonne, Mum, James, James, Nanny, Kelly, Karen and Karen. Together we will beat cancer sooner. Thank you to my boyfriend James who took these photos and stood by me and supported me along the way during the race.
*I was provided free entry to the race for life in exchange for this blog post. All opinions are my own and I was not influenced in any way.
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