This morning I woke to a mad dash to get ready. My alarm set for 4:30 in the morning on my first day of unemployment, let alone a Saturday, shook me like an air raid alarm. I began to dress and mentally prepare myself for the biggest challenge I have ever faced alone. Point A to Point B.
Woke the kids, bathed them, loaded everyone in the car for the long, early morning haul to Hermann for the 2011 Health Challenge 5K. A worthy cause as the proceeds went to four local, rural area food pantries. I have no idea how long it takes to get to Hermann, MO from my house. I figured it was about 60 miles, but I have never really clocked it from here. I had to be there, drop the kids off, and register by7:30. I left my house at 5:30 and trekked out into an early morning thunderstorm.
Arriving barely in time...I pick up my sister and we are off.
My sister and I are a similar body type. She is a bit shorter than I am, but weigh about the same. This was also her first 5K.
I love people. As you also know...people are my problem. Their expectations of me, my idea of their expectations of me, the doubt that I will meet their expectations are all issues with which I continue to deal. We arrive and my sister begins to call her trainer...I have never met her trainer. I am sure that I will make a tremendous fool out of myself and come in last and she will mark in her head all the reasons that I should be continuing to see a trainer. She will laugh to herself at how foolish I was to think that I could ever do this on my own. We meet. She seems nice, I tell myself, but I immediately decide that I haven't failed yet and that is why she seems to be pleasant. I smile a lot.
We walk to the starting line, they explain the course, and we are off...
Me, Suzanne (my sister), and Trainer Michelle. I am iPod zoned. I HAVE TO BE. I can hear them talking and I decide that if I get caught up in the conversation, I will never make it through. I pull ahead. I feel guilty for it. I look back a few times. I see my sister walking with her trainer. My sister asked me to come out and walk with her today..if I am ahead, am I not supporting her? These questions keep popping into my head. Reluctantly, I soldier on ahead...alone.
I decided that she had a support system in her trainer.I was cheering her on as well, but she had the support she needed. Her support system would have held me back. I know without a doubt, if I had stayed with them...I would have given up. I would have failed. If I stayed ahead...I was showing her that it could be done IN REAL TIME.
I am emotional...many of you know this already, but I cried several times while doing this today. I cried because I doubted myself. I cried because I was doing it, I cried when I saw the finish line,
I cried when I saw my sister walking around the bend to the finish.
People do 5k's all the time. I suppose it's not a big deal, but to me...it's a huge deal. I stepped outside my comfort zone and by the way...I made 10 new friends who actually came home with me. "The Foot Blister Family" Seriously TEN blisters. I think I will be sidelined for a day or so. :)
Woke the kids, bathed them, loaded everyone in the car for the long, early morning haul to Hermann for the 2011 Health Challenge 5K. A worthy cause as the proceeds went to four local, rural area food pantries. I have no idea how long it takes to get to Hermann, MO from my house. I figured it was about 60 miles, but I have never really clocked it from here. I had to be there, drop the kids off, and register by7:30. I left my house at 5:30 and trekked out into an early morning thunderstorm.
Arriving barely in time...I pick up my sister and we are off.
My sister and I are a similar body type. She is a bit shorter than I am, but weigh about the same. This was also her first 5K.
I love people. As you also know...people are my problem. Their expectations of me, my idea of their expectations of me, the doubt that I will meet their expectations are all issues with which I continue to deal. We arrive and my sister begins to call her trainer...I have never met her trainer. I am sure that I will make a tremendous fool out of myself and come in last and she will mark in her head all the reasons that I should be continuing to see a trainer. She will laugh to herself at how foolish I was to think that I could ever do this on my own. We meet. She seems nice, I tell myself, but I immediately decide that I haven't failed yet and that is why she seems to be pleasant. I smile a lot.
We walk to the starting line, they explain the course, and we are off...
Me, Suzanne (my sister), and Trainer Michelle. I am iPod zoned. I HAVE TO BE. I can hear them talking and I decide that if I get caught up in the conversation, I will never make it through. I pull ahead. I feel guilty for it. I look back a few times. I see my sister walking with her trainer. My sister asked me to come out and walk with her today..if I am ahead, am I not supporting her? These questions keep popping into my head. Reluctantly, I soldier on ahead...alone.
I decided that she had a support system in her trainer.I was cheering her on as well, but she had the support she needed. Her support system would have held me back. I know without a doubt, if I had stayed with them...I would have given up. I would have failed. If I stayed ahead...I was showing her that it could be done IN REAL TIME.
I am emotional...many of you know this already, but I cried several times while doing this today. I cried because I doubted myself. I cried because I was doing it, I cried when I saw the finish line,
I cried when I saw my sister walking around the bend to the finish.
People do 5k's all the time. I suppose it's not a big deal, but to me...it's a huge deal. I stepped outside my comfort zone and by the way...I made 10 new friends who actually came home with me. "The Foot Blister Family" Seriously TEN blisters. I think I will be sidelined for a day or so. :)
Well I was proud of you soldiering on, I kept telling Michelle "look at her go". I was proud of you. I am proud of you. Christie does rock. It was a hard route,I had done " a 5K" twice. This week, And it kicked my butt. You have not. Trained on that terrain and I have And you rocked it. Love those blisters cause you worked for them
ReplyDeleteGood job on setting this goal and following through, it is huge, and I am also proud of you!
ReplyDeleteYikes 10 blisters... just something to remind you for a few days of the great accomplishment!