My First 5K and the Journey to Get There

I am feeling very much accomplished today.  Not solely through my own doing, but through a spirit of strength and determination given by God, the encouragement of my husband, family, and friends, and the fact that I set a goal, worked hard, and achieved it.

I finished my first 5K today.  I had no time goal.  My only goal was to be able to run the whole thing without walking.  Going from a person who hated running to a person who could run an entire 5k was, to me, a big feat.


I have spent the last month training - running almost everyday.  I followed an app called C25K (Couch to 5K), which is designed to take you from the couch to running a 5K in nine weeks.  Because I only had about 4 weeks to train, I had to condense the training program, but it was such a big help.  It literally took me from walking most of the 3 miles to running the whole 3 miles in a month.  I am a believer and promoter of the C25K app if you are a beginner and you want to train to run a full 5K.

My sister asked me, "Do you feel more fit after running a 5K?"  My answer is no.  I don't feel any more fit, but I feel extremely thankful and extremely proud.

Thankful for all the answered prayers for strength when I wanted to give up.  Thankful that my mind and body are much stronger than I give them credit when I draw strength from the Lord.  Thankful that I have an awesome circle of family and friends who encouraged, helped, and cheered me on during this journey. 

Proud that I was able to run for a great cause.  Proud to be running alongside a couple of strong and inspiring friends.  Proud that I was able to set a goal and achieve it.

A couple friends asked me, "How do you find the time, much less, the energy to train for a 5K?"  My answer: you just gotta do it.  I had to schedule my training time around my family life.  I ran early mornings after Nathaniel went to school and before Sym woke up.  If that didn't happen, I ran in the afternoon while Sym napped.  If that didn't happen, my husband was very good about taking over so I could get out to run in the evenings.

You just have to make time for it.  That may mean you have to leave a few dirty dishes in the sink or leave the dirty clothes on the floor or clean the bathroom tomorrow, but I promise you that it's worth it.  That time that you take for yourself to work towards accomplishing a personal goal is so refreshing - whether your goal is to run a 5K or grow your own vegetable garden or learn how to swim or whatever.  Take time for yourself.  It makes the world of difference. 

I encourage you to set a personal goal, make a plan on how to achieve it, and do it.  Do you accept the challenge?