If you knew me when I was younger, you know I am not exactly the athlete that my sisters were. I was never into exercising and didn't think much about being healthy or active. If you had told me in high school that I'd be running races in the future I probably would have laughed at you.
Flash forward several years and my how things have changed. I suppose it all started about 5 years ago when my friend Jodie told me that she needed to get back into shape and wanted me to train for a 5K with her. I don't remember the exact moment but I imagine that I told her she was crazy (you know that's 3 miles, right?) Well, I did it anyway. I started off slow, very slow and eventually was able to run (er, jog) 3 miles at a time and ran my first Grand Rapids Riverbank 5K. I have run several 5k races since then and in January of this year, decided I needed a new challenge. The Riverbank 10k in May became my new goal and my New Thing.
I began training in January and built up to running 6.5 miles at a time. Many people told me when I first started running that I'd get addicted to it and love it. That's a lie. I envy those (Heidi, Becky, Janine, Becky) who love running and can't seem to get enough of it. I hate it. It's boring, it hurts, and it makes me all sweaty. But I do it because it makes me feel good and I always have a sense of accomplishment after I'm finished.
At 6:00am on Saturday, May 14 I woke up, threw on my running clothes, inhaled a piece of toast, and headed to Grand Rapids for the big run. I was a bit nervous but looking forward to meeting my crew, Annie, Mike, Jodie, Mark, Jen, Becky, and Nick for the race. It was about 50 degrees out and rained the whole way to GR. In fact, it rained during the entire race. When the race started at 8:00am, it was chilly and drizzling but altogether not bad running weather. The course was flat and rather enjoyable, curving through downtown GR and the zoo for the first 4 miles. Near mile 4.5 it started pouring, I stepped in a massive puddle, and discovered the last 1.5 miles to be nothing but hills.
Soaking wet and getting soar, I squished my way over the last hill and around the last curve to hear my mom, sister, niece, nephew, and Annie screaming and cheering for me just before reaching the finish line. I'm no Olympic athlete, but it sure did feel good to complete that 6.2 mile run. How many people can say they can do that? Not many I'm sure. But I can, and it was great.
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