About a month ago, Denise told me about this 5k that one of her co-workers was organizing to benefit a local school's cross country team and she asked me to run with her. I finally agreed because I knew if I wanted to run the half-marathon next spring I needed to start doing small races to prepare myself for running 13.1 miles next May.
The night before the race, I laid awake until almost 12:30 telling myself I was crazy and that I couldn't do this. When I woke up Saturday morning, I felt sick to my stomach, both from my sinuses and because I still thought I couldn't do this. The closer we got to Denise's house though, the more excited I became. I knew I had worked hard up to this point and it didn't matter what my time was or how much I ran versus how much I walked but the fact was that I was going to cross that finish line no matter what it took.
We arrived about half an hour before the race started and registered. I started stretching and before I knew it it was time to gather at the starting line. When the horn when off, we started at the back but gradually made our way to the middle of the pack. Denise's husband ran the whole thing because he and Denise are training for a half marathon for next month but because Denise has already run a full marathon, she told me she would pace herself with me since it was my first race. Megan also ran with us and between the two of them, they kept me going. I had doubts during parts of the course but Denise kept reminding me of our last three mile training run in 90 degree heat and what I had told her when we were done. I had told her that I had proven to myself that I could do it and how confident it made me feel when we were done. That kept me going for the three mile run from the center of town out to the high school.
I crossed the finish line at 52:20 and not only had I completed the race in under an hour, but I had also shaved EIGHT minutes off of my last three mile training run!! I hadn't run the entire thing but it didn't matter. I had finished and that's all that mattered to me. Since Jon had run the whole race, he was waiting for us at the end of the course. Denise and Megan backed off so I could cross the finish line before them (which was very sweet since it was my first race!). As I came across the finish line, I put my arms up in victory and burst into tears because I had just proven to myself that I could do something I never thought was possible. Jon came running over and gave me a big hug and kept telling me how proud he was that I had finished and how well I had done. Right behind him were Denise and Megan, each of them waiting for me with big hugs and telling me how incredible I had done and how proud they were of me. All I could do was cry which made it impossible to catch my breath since I had run the last quarter mile. :-P
I never honestly thought this day would come. As I ran alongside Denise during her months of training for the marathon and talked about how I wanted to run 5ks and train for the half, inside I was telling myself I was all talk and that it would never happen, that it would be just another one of my plans that fell apart. Well, guess what? It's not! I completed my first race and now I'm pumped to get back to the gym tomorrow night to start training for my next race in September.
After this weekend, I now believe I can do anything I set my mind to. I am absolutely hooked on running and races and there hasn't been any greater feeling in my life up to this point than the experience of coming down that finish line and knowing I had done something I once thought was impossible and crazy. Like the lyrics to "What Faith Can Do" by Kutless say: "Impossible is not a word. It's just a reason for someone not to try." Impossible is no longer a word in my vocabulary and the confidence that brings is incredible.
Denise and I after the 5k!
Without these ladies, I couldn't have done this! 
With Megan before the race!
With my support system and my cheering section. I couldn't have done this on Saturday without them!
No comments:
Post a Comment