….Deep Breath….
The past few weeks have been very empowering and emotional for me. The first week of this month, I started running. For those of you that know me, I am definitely NOT a runner by any means. I ran a mile outdoors and only stopped to walk once. I was so proud of myself. I couldn’t believe that I did it. My close friends and family members were really proud of me too.
The next morning I got a text from my husband saying that he ran a mile — I inspired him to get out there and do it. I was very happy for him and kind of excited to see what new aspect this could bring to our lives. When I got home that day, we decided that we would start running together 2-3 times a week.
On the 4th, there was a 4K run/walk supporting Hope4Youth, which I had known about for about a month. I was too afraid to sign up to do the run/walk — even though I totally could have just walked the whole thing. There was a group of friends from FXB doing the 4K, and one in particular, Marilee, thought I had signed up. She called me wondering if she needed to pick up my registration packet…I told her that I hadn’t signed up for the run, because “I can’t run a 4K” and “No one will go as slow as me” and “I’m scared”. Marilee has always been a huge supporter and told me that there was nothing to be afraid of, and that I didn’t have to run any of it if I didn’t want to. She also told me that she believes in me and that if I couldn’t do this 4K that she would get me out of my comfort zone and do a 5K with me. We hung up the phone with each other, and I thought about it for about 5 minutes or less — I called my mom to see if she would be able to be home to watch the kiddos, and called my husband, Dan, to see if he wanted to run the 4K. Everyone said yes…with that I called Marilee back and she signed me and Dan up for the race. She was so excited for us to do the race.
When I got home from work, after talking to Marilee, Dan and I decided to go running. My thoughts were that we would run a mile and be done — his thoughts not so much. We ran the mile (I ran the whole thing without stopping!! FIRST TIME EVER!) and then started walking and talking. As we were walking, I decided that wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be and we decided to do another mile. I ran that mile without stopping too. I was so proud of myself, I’m still tearing up a little typing this. I made a goal in my head that I was going to run the whole mile and then I did, even though I didn’t think I could. That was proof to me that if I get out of my own way, I can do anything that I put my mind to. All I have to do is believe in myself!
When it got to race day, I was nervous. All of my FXB friends just kept saying you will be fine. You got this. We went to the starting line up and started the run. I ended up running by myself, but that was OK with me because then I could just run and focus on my breathing. When I got to the 1 mile marker I hadn’t stopped — I said to myself, “I can keep going”. I kept going — I definitely thought about stopping, but told myself that I didn’t need to. I was still breathing and pacing myself just right — I got to the 2 mile marker. I nearly started crying — this was the first time EVER that I had run without stopping for that long. “I have gone this far — there is only .5 miles left — I got this”. The finish line was just in reach — I heard Marilee, Dan and some of the others cheering me on — I pushed harder. I ended up passing the finish line at 29.02. I felt amazing, I cried. I couldn’t believe that I did it!!
I ran a 4K without stopping, what else could I do that I had previously been holding myself back from…only time will tell.
I really enjoyed running — I decided to make some running goals for myself:
Run a 5K by mid July. Do the Rugged Maniac with Marilee in September. Run a 10K by October… and the biggest goal… Run Grandma’s 1/2 Marathon in 2019.
“Yes I can!” All I need to do is believe in myself. If you have any running tips, tricks, or must haves let me know in the comments below!!