My 10K

Several months ago, I thought it would be a great idea to train for another half marathon. I began to train and realized that I was completely out of shape. Not long after that, I found out that I was pregnant and my motivation to train began to diminish quickly. I barely had the energy to shower each day, let alone get out and train for a half marathon! I decided I better have some sort of goal in mind or else it would be too easy to sit around and not do anything. I thought that walking the 10k would be a good compromise. 6.2 miles didn't sound like too much compared to a half marathon. So, I registered, paid my $28 and said I was going to do this. Somehow, my goal of getting out and walking and training every day did not happen. One excuse after another led me to not being very well prepared for this walk...

The day of the race came and I was thinking that I would just take my time and try to finish the thing. Maybe this is what I needed to get motivated to exercise more regularly. But then, the gun went off and the race was underway. Something happened inside of me. I snapped, and for those 6.2 miles, I became a competitive walker. I wasn't about to let any of the "grandmas" pass me. I had something to prove. I wanted to do better than just finish. I wanted to finish with a decent time too. If I could do this when I was pregnant, I could do anything! Oh how silly and stupid I can be sometimes. I averaged about a 15 minute mile and finished in 1 hour 36 minutes. Not too bad for an out of shape, pregnant lady. However, I paid for it the next couple of days. I was so sore, that I could barely walk up our stairs. I hobbled around like I had just run the entire marathon! And, I only walked 6.2 miles. Aaaahh...how humbling.

All in all, I'm glad I did it. It did motivate me to get out there and exercise more regularly. More importantly, I was inspired by watching the other competitors. Moms and dads running with their strollers in tow. Grandmas and grandpas booking along and enjoying life to the fullest. Out of shape people trying to reach their goal of just finishing. Friends walking or running together and having a great time. It made me realize once again that life is so short. We should all be getting out there and enjoying every minute. Even if we aren't the best at something, it doesn't mean we can't participate.