Sat, 10/17/09, I ran my very first 5k. This was such an accomplishment. I felt like I had completed something that was so important to me. I am so addicted! I want to run more races…perhaps a 10k in the near future. I was so nervous the week prior. I was worried about so much, my weight (heavy on my body), being in enough shape (did I train hard enough), if I was going to not make through the finish line (would I be too tired?), and most of all walking during the race. I wanted to run the full race and I had to mentally prepare my mind that three miles was not a lot, I could make it to the finish line. All of these thoughts ran through my head that week and I had to overcome the negative ones to feel like I could run the race at the best to my ability. A part of me wanted to skip out! However, I psyched myself out and kept telling myself I could do it. As I arrived I was by myself and an hour early, so I had some time to reflect on my run. I had some time to warm up, get my blood flowing, and heart rate up a bit which helped for the run. People were casual and nice. The competitive itching to race runners stayed in the front…it was nice to stay in a group at my own pace. If I had been up front I would have been compelled to run just as fast as them and probably would have been too tired to complete the race. I started at a slow pace, stayed focused, listened to good music, and kicked up my pace every .5 mile and had a strong finish for the last mile. After I completed the race I thought, “That was easy!” It was fun and accomplishing at the same time. I know I can do it, I know I can run and if I can then so can you! Don’t ever say that you can’t do something especially if you don’t try. It is worth every minute of having that feeling of accomplishment. It is not only about how much weight you lost, it is also about your health and your body. They both deserve to be happy too!
