I completed my first 5k race run on Sunday. And really it wasn't the first time I ran 5k, but I can hardly call it a race. I started, I ran, and I finished. AND I wasn't the last one across the finish line. But I wasn't racing. I was accomplishing a goal, taking part in a fundraiser, and supporting a cause that hits close to home and that I truly believe in.
First some background information...
How did I get here? Well, as I've discussed before on this blog, I've made a lifestyle change over the last six months. I knew I wanted to be healthier and I knew I wasn't happy with my body image and the way I felt. I am the only one who can change this about myself, so I did. I joined Weight Watchers and it has slowly transformed the way I live day to day and the way I think about the things I am doing to my body. I am much more concious of the decisions I'm making when it comes to the food I am consuming. Yes, I still make bad decisions - but at the time they feel good. I don't think it is fair to deprive myself completely of the things I crave, like a burger. However, I also don't think it's fair to treat my body so poorly and eat these things ALL of the time (like I was doing previous to turning my life around). There has to be a happy medium and I am almost there.
So, my eating habits have taken a drastic turn for the better. On top of that though, I'm exercising. And this my friends is a huge effing deal!!! Talk to my family and my closest friends and you will quickly learn that I am not the exercising type. In the past, 97% of the time I would much rather sit on my butt and do whatever then get up and work out in any way shape or form. I still have these moments, but I am pleased to announce that I am turning into a runner. I still haven't stepped foot in a gym over the last six months, but I have gone to the pool, ran, and did cardio classes in the comfort of my living room. I know eventually I'll make that step into the gym, but for now I am definitely seeing major results from running outside and swimming now and then. But like anything else, I needed a goal or something to work towards to keep me motivated. After talking to my good friend Jenny and asking if she would be interested in running with me, I signed up for a 5k in support of the Brain Tumour Foundation.
And that brings us to the present. It took me a while to be able to run a full 5k (and by this I mean reaching that distance, not running the entire way) but I can do it now and I am so proud of myself. My goal going in to the 5k was to run under 40 minutes and to NOT be the last one to cross the line. And I did just that. I ran the 5k on Sunday in 39:22 and I wasn't even close to being the last one across the line.
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| This hill at the end of the race ruined me. |
My favourite part of the run? Well, besides the gorgeous scenery at Fish Creek Park where the run was held, my favourite part was probably the interaction I had with another runner as we approached the finish line. I know how I felt as I got closer to the finish line: tired, my legs were killing me, out of breath, and I was barely holding on! So I can only imagine how attractive and composed I looked to others. This one gentleman run up beside me and yelled to me "Your doing it! We're almost there!" He slowed his pace down and ran to the end with me cheering me on the whole way. Once we crossed the line, he gave me a high five and told me that I should be very proud! And then he walked away. I was smiling so big I totally forgot about how much pain I was experinicing in my legs at the moment.
So, I did it. I did it for me, I did it for my health, and I did it for Grandad. Always & Forever.
