My first running goal- CHECK!

THE GOAL

I remember the day I spoke my first running goal out loud for someone else to hear.  Even as the words were coming out of my mouth, I almost felt embarrassed.  "I'm going to run an entire 5K without stopping." As soon as I said it, I regretted it.  This was too much.  Run 3.1 miles?!? How could I ever do that? What if I couldn't do it?

For a long time I didn't tell anyone else about my goal because I did not want to be embarrassed if I wasn't able to achieve it. But I continued doing my Couch to 5K program using an app on my phone. I ran and walked all over my neighborhood, often pushing my little boy in the jogging stroller I bought at a yard sale. Many times I wondered why I decided to work on this goal in the middle of the Georgia summer! 

As I progressed through the program, I decided on a local 5K race that would take place on a Saturday evening at the end of my training.  It was an evening race and I had to work that day at a training event.  I could barely focus all day because I was so anxious. I had just enough time to head home for a quick nap and to change for the race. While I was there I tried to explain my anxiety to my husband.  "What if I can't do it?!?!" I wailed. "Then you walk.  What's the big deal?" he replied.  

THE RACE

I arrived at the race in plenty of time and prepared for the start.  This was it! 

I hadn't checked out the race route and was surprised to find that it was an out and back, uphill on a gravel road.  And it felt like the hottest, most humid evening in August!

I felt discouraged to be running behind a couple who were wearing weight vests. They stopped intermittently to do burpees, lunges, planks and push ups... and they were smiling as if it was nothing and always in front of me.  Grrrr. Didn't they know I was using all the energy I had to keep running?

Finally I was almost at the end.  The course came behind a shopping center and would end in the parking lot in front of the stores.  I was ecstatic.  I was about to make it the the front of the stores and knew the end would be just steps away. Then I came around the corner to discover we still had to run around the parking lot before reaching the finish line. WHUT?!?  

There was a decent sized group of runners and walkers from my church and several others had arrived to cheer at the finish line.  My hubs and son joined them at the finish.  What a great feeling when I was so worried about achieving my goal to have the support of those who cared about and believed in me. 

After crossing the finish line I was on top of the world.  I didn't even care about my time.  I had set a goal that seemed to hard for an overweight, middle-aged woman like me to achieve.  But I worked hard and I did it!