3.1 Miles Later and It's Not Too Late

I know it has been a while since I posted last but ..well, I won’t get into the reasons why…let’s just say I have been on a little roller coaster ride, that included a couple of illnesses, a best friend who came on a much needed visit, a pretty important Holy week to observe in the church, and a few personal challenges in-between.

Well, I accomplished something that I never thought I would...I completed my first 5K race today. For those who are trying to figure out how I was in church and running a race – I took the day off and prayed along Massachusetts Avenue.

Today – at the start of the race, it was 27 degrees, yes 27 degrees. I had my mittens, turtleneck, fleece, Coach K Duke birthday gift shirt, and stocking cap. Other people were in tank tops and shorts. There are crazy people up here, but I was not one of them. I completed the race in 41.27 minutes. 3 people finished AFTER me but that shoudl not matter. Afterwards, we celebrated at the Irish pub that sponsored the race. Could you ask for a better place to be? ;-)

At first, I was disappointed because I knew I would not be able to run the whole race. Then I finally came to realize an important fact: On January 25, before I decided to do this thing, I was walking the 3.1 miles in 55 minutes. On January 27, I made it a goal to participate in a race. I started my own training for this race and yesterday, completed the 3.1 miles in 41 minutes. That is not too bad for someone who wasn’t running two months ago. That is the reason I am celebrating. And it will only get better. As a colleague reminded me, you will not have to run your first 5k race again.

I have learned a lot in the past two months:

• 3.1 miles is a lot longer when you are running in the cold (how does that happen?)
• Don’t be ashamed when you have to re-adjust your goals. You will still accomplish something you have never done before
• Even though I thought I was the last person to finish the race, I still finished the race.
• I was only running against myself and I won.
• People do cheer you on, no matter how far behind you are - even the cops
• You can't worry about if other people will be disappointed if you don't run the whole thing. So what? They didn't run ANY part of it and YOU DID
• No matter the journey, you are never ever alone
  

And here is a humbling piece – someone who I didn’t meet until today, came to the race. She has been trying to lose weight too and saw me achieve my goal today, after losing the weight I have. Guess what? She now wants to run her first 5k race because of what she saw me do. Can you imagine that?

I did this on my own. I did all the training and prep on my own. I did all the research to get ready on my own. My church did particpate today too. They prayed today while I was running. My friends and family cheered me on from Richmond, Florida, and Needham and I am able to prove to them that it paid off. I feel good. I feel like I accomplished something pretty important. I also proved something to myself…it is never too late to feel good about yourself, to accomplish the unimaginable, and to cross the finish line smiling.

And guess what? I want to do it again.

Here are some pictures to share the experience.