The Race Is On

Two Sundays in a row with something deep to write about? What is this, Dr. Phil??!!  On Friday night I ran my first 5K in a long time and going into it I wasn't sure I was going to be up to the task.  Among other reasons for my concern, I wasn't feeling 100% due to this nasty cold that's been rotating around my family.  Plus I usually don't fare as well in night races because my eating during the day gives me cramps, etc.  Add to those two facts that I did a small warm-up run prior to the race and was having some very new, very real knee pain and I have to admit that I was panicking a little :)  And did I mention it was cold?  The ultimate run-killer!  However, I went, I stretched, I stayed loose and I just ran.  And you know what?  It was one of the best runs I have had in a long time.  I was completely shocked at how well I did.  I ran it at about 28:10, which is not a personal record of any kind, but very solid considering everything I was up against.  So as the finish line approached and I made it across, I truly felt like a million bucks!  There were over 630 racers out there and I had just ran past a vast majority of them.  I was thrilled that I ran so well.

Now, as you can see by this picture, I was in good running company that night.  My friends Davina, Michelle and Pollyanna were there too.  Davina is part running cyborg and won our age group with a blazing time of 23:10 and Michelle only missed third place by coming in about 40 seconds behind her.  They are both incredible runners.  And I have to admit that upon learning their times I was a little deflated by realizing how slow I really am compared to these two rock stars.  But then I remembered a quote that I posted a while back on here, which reads, "Don't Let Comparison Steal Your Joy."  And then I realized that I was doing just that.  By comparing myself to their accomplishments, my joy was being stolen.  I was giving away the elation and pride I felt when I crossed the finish line.  For no good reason!  I realized I needed to simply be happy with what I had just done and not care what anyone else did.  It was time to be selfish and focus on just me.  I showed up.  I ran.  I didn't stop.  I did something that was difficult to do.  So while I still admire Davina and Michelle for a thousand different reasons including their mad running skills, I have decided I still get to be ridiculously proud of myself for running like a three-legged turtle covered in molasses.  I will take my 28:10 and wear it like boss.