I did it!

In my first post, I listed some goals I wanted to accomplish during 2008. One of them was to run a 5k. To some, this may not seem like such a big feat, but to me, it was monumental. I am not a runner. Running is not something I do for fun. Running for me is hard work. But, I knew if I ever wanted to accomplish my much loftier goal of running a marathon in my lifetime, I would have to start somewhere. So, I found a 5k race the Owasso, OK YMCA was sponsoring on Thanksgiving Day and focused my energy on training for that. I also convinced my dad and older brother to join me. Taber was on childcare duty with a bum ankle.

Race day came. I was nervous. Taber coached me on the drive over to the YMCA, calming my nerves. He asked me what my goal was and I told him the only thing I really wanted to accomplish during the race was to run/jog the entire time, just to keep my feet moving. So he reminded me of that and said not to worry about time at all.

My dad, my brother, and I went inside to register. I could feel my adrenaline start coursing through my veins. There was definitely an energy about the morning. There were all sorts of people participating - families with kids, seasoned runners, first-timers like myself. The weather was beautiful, the sun was shining, the air was crisp.

The race began. The first few minutes or so were fun, dare I say, easy. Then the excitement wore off and it started getting difficult. I knew going into the race that I wasn't fully prepared - I had only reached my fourth week of a nine-week training program. But I was determined. Despite a few obstacles (not having my mp3 player to distract me, needing to go to the bathroom, and a shoelace that came untied), I jogged the entire 3.1 miles, not stopping to walk once. As I crossed the finish line, I had an amazing sense of accomplishment. I did it. I can do hard things! Taber was there waiting at the finish line with the girls, cheering me on, supporting and encouraging me the whole way. I couldn't have done it without his help. I also couldn't have done it without having my older brother Adam right there by my side, telling me to just keep moving, to ignore my untied shoe, to steady my breathing. If I had been doing it by myself, I probably would've given in and walked so I'm grateful to him for helping me accomplish this goal.

My time wasn't stellar. I finished 119th in the Women's Division, with a time of 34:23, for a pace of 6:53. But I didn't care. I finished.