Great inspiration
This morning, I read the below on SparkPeople.com I think we could all learn from it...
SUBJECT: I did something I didn't think I could do
POSTER: BELLADONNA921
I've been battling weight for years. I hit the 300 mark in 2005 but waited to
do something until 2006. I started training for the 5K about 2 months ago. My
goal was to do it on January 1,2008, but I did it 8 months before that date.
I've also haven't ran since I was 15 and in the 9th grade. I am now 33 years
old. Never in my life would I have thought I could walk a 5K let alone run it.
I thought you had to be super thin. I was wrong.
On the morning of April 14, 2007 I woke up to wet, cold, snowy weather for my
first 5K run. I thought for sure that my run was going to be cancelled. It
wasn't. I got there, picked up my number, and began to stretch. There were a
lot of people there so I started in the middle. When they said start, I started
with a run. I made the first mile and my calves started to burn. I had to stop
running. I started to walk and fell behind the pack. I kept going though. I
even kept going when I realized I was the last one. I felt alone and even
thought about giving up. I kept thinking to myself "It's cold, why am I
doing this?" I turned the corner at a mile and half and saw a family who
was walking in the race. I caught up. I kept going. I realized that as long as
I can see someone in front of me then I wasn't too far behind. So I kept going.
I thought about running but couldn't. My right calf was hurting so bad that it
was making my right foot feel like it was asleep. Every time I got up to a race
staff member and was about to pass they cheered me on even though I was last.
It felt great to know that there were people there cheering everyone on. I
passed the 2-mile mark and realized "I'm still speed walking, I can finish
this." I passed the family and as I did, I told them "Thank you all,
you kept a pace that I was able to maintain and seeing you all made me realize
I still had a chance to finish and I wasn't out here alone. Thank you". I
saw the entrance to the zoo, which I thought was the end, and found the
strength to run it. I saw my husband right there and he took my picture. When I
stopped he told me I was in the home stretch... I had 1 mile left. I didn't
think I could do one more mile but I wanted to finish so I kept going. My
calves started to hurt again. I had to walk the rest of the way. I speed walked
through the zoo for a mile and then I see it. The finish line.....it's right
there. I kept speed walking up until the end. My husband was there and he
yelled, "You did it, babe. You finished it." I walked over that line,
the lady took the bottom part of my number, and handed me my medal for
finishing it. I did it....I really did it.
I am the ultimate procrastinator. I give up at the first sign of pain or
discouragement. I am the one who can make up any excuse for why I give up and
don't exercise. And yet, I just did the first 5K of my life. I didn't give up
when I felt I was alone, I didn't give up when I felt the pain, and I didn't
give up when I felt I couldn't do it anymore. I did it.