In my last running post, I described my childhood aversion to running and my triumph over the mile, and also explained some of the reasons why running is great for you.
So I could run a mile. Still… why stop there? Can I go further? Run longer? Inspired by several long-distance runners in my life, I set a goal for myself to increase my endurance: I would run a 5k in one year—by the summer of 2012. That gave me plenty of time to train for it and get comfortable enough to go through with it. Then, in October, I saw an advertisement for a 5k in town, just one month away. Should I do it? Should I just sign up and commit? Even if I stop and walk, and it takes me longer than everyone else, it would be a starting point to inspire me and to learn from, right?
To see if I was ready, I did a treadmill test. Running at an average of 6 mph, sometimes faster and occasionally slowing to 4 mph, I reached my goal in 30 minutes and 4 seconds. That’s a ten-minute mile each. It’s not a fast or competitive time, but who cares? Look how far I’ve come since my teenage years!
Elated, I decided I was ready. I registered, I committed, I told my family and friends: I was going to run a 5k! Alright… fine… but running outside in late November would not be the same as running on the treadmill. There'd be cold air, wind, and hills, and I wouldn’t have buttons allowing me to control my pace and see my progress. Surely, that would all slow me down, or so I told myself.

But then, magic happens. Another song begins; the playlist was not over! I ran three miles, outdoors in the cold, in under thirty minutes.
WHO AM I??? Did YOU know I could do that?? I certainly didn’t! Shocked, smiling, and so proud, I walk back up to my house, with Mika’s “We Are Golden” streaming through my headphones. Yes, I AM golden! Look at what I just accomplished! I may be wheezing and sweating and just about ready to collapse, but I ran three ten-minute miles. WOW. I couldn’t stop smiling.
Committing myself to a public goal gave me the motivation to push my body further than my mind thought it could go. I learned not to let my mind inhibit what my body is capable of, and I dare you to do the same—in running, in fitness, in life. What are you afraid of? What are you holding yourself back from accomplishing? Running, painting, singing, writing a book--or a blog? Take a breath, dare yourself, and go for it!!
Stay tuned to see how I perform on a new route, in public, in my very first 5k race!
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