Running Down a Goal

In January, I was a non-runner. Seriously, my record for jogging on the treadmill was three minutes -- and even that was rough!

Then I joined the Beginners Running Club, met MOM23JS, and was inspired to train for my first 5K run. This was an incredible challenge for me, the non-runner.
Three months later, I found myself at the American Cancer Society run/walk in Kenosha, Wisconsin, pinning a number to my shirt, and shivering in the harsh spring winds. I was the only member of my team who planned to run the entire 5K, and it was tempting to simply join the walkers and chat my way through. But I toughed it out.

When the airhorn blew to signify the start of the run/walk, I realized that I should have moved to the front of the crowd. Oops. I politely maneuvered to the outside of the walking group and set up my pace. Within the first minutes, I left behind the walkers and fell into a good jogging pace.

Looking ahead of me, I found a woman in white hat and matched her pace. This worked for the first mile...and then she started walking. Darn it! Okay, found another one: this girl wore a bright pink hoodie. I paced behind her for another seven minutes or so...and then it happened again. As the wind picked up, the speedy runners became joggers and the joggers became walkers. And yet, I plodded on with my slow and steady pace. Sometimes the wind was so strong that it felt like I was hitting a brick wall. Twice, I had to give in and walk for a minute's relief. Then back to my steady pace.

Finally, I rounded the last section of the lake and could see the timer a short distance ahead of me. In an attempt to shave a few seconds off my time, I picked up the pace. The other runners who had finished were cheering us on for the last section, and those cheers filled me with a new burst of energy. I crossed the finish line just as the clock hit 36:00, elated to be a runner.