It's ONLY 3.1 Miles

For the last nine weeks I have been preparing for my first ever 5k.  I have to tell you it was a difficult journey, but I am so grateful for how much I have learned from it.  I learned so much, I have decided to start training for a 10k.  I have received so much support for this race and am so grateful to everybody who supported me in it!  Here are some pictures/videos from the event:

 Lessons I learned from training/running:

1. Even a short run makes a difference.
1. There were so many days when I felt like not running at all.  But making that small effort to go every day and run even one mile helped me.
2. Nobody is perfect.
1. Even if I did miss a day of running it didn't mean it was the end of the world.  Yes the next run was a little harder, but I could still do it.  If you miss one day of running, don't let that stop you.  Pick-up the next day and just keep going.
3. Running is free therapy!
1. Life is stressful . . . pounding the pavement/treadmill helps. :)
4. Find somebody to hold you accountable.
1. I not only had my running buddy (who I desperately needed), but I also had my friends who were runners.  They had heard that I started running and would ask me how my runs were going.  I also had my school district.  We started a "Healthy Changes" program and I signed up for it.  I had to report to somebody in the district weekly to tell them how I did.  I felt foolish if I had to tell them I didn't run that day, so I made a point to do it.
5. Anybody can run.
1. I have never been one for running (unless it was in a sport).  But the more I ran the more I loved it.  I was the last person I ever thought would enjoy running.  I was that kid in high school who HATED running the mile and would pretend to be sick to get out of running it (*Note for the kids reading this, it doesn't work.  You will still have to run it eventually).  My fastest mile in high school was 14:13.  Now, my fastest mile is 10:42. So, if I can run YOU most definitely can run!

This change has been such a blessing and improvement in my life!  I feel better emotionally, mentally, physically, and even spiritually.  My mind is clearer and quicker!  I'm excited to see how much longer I can go with this!