I don't run races very often, and now that I think about it, I haven't ran very much in these last few months, even knowing that I signed up for races. That certainly doesn't stop me from signing up again and again though. This time I signed up for a 5K that was located in the town right next to mine, which was a relief to Sal because he didn't have to wake up early and drive really far, like we have for some of my previous races. That morning, I bundled up, it was a chilly October morning in Jersey, and we all know how those brutal those fall mornings can be, and we headed to the race.
I knew that two of my friends had signed up, and when I got there, I ended up seeing two more ladies that I knew from CKO Kickboxing. I ended up starting the race with them, and kept up pace for the first mile, now seeing as how I hadn't run in awhile, I thought that was pretty great, but eventually I couldn't keep up, so I tried to keep a steady pace on my own. I definitely slowed down, but it helped seeing Sal at different points during the race. He definitely motivates me to keep going (with anything in life), and to never give up. All kinds of cramps were in full force by the time I hit the second mile, but I kept going. I am not the kind of person to give up, ever.
By the time I saw the finish line, I ran with everything I had, and ended up with a new PR - I came in 45th place overall & 4th in my age group (20-29) with a time of 26:36, with an 8:35 average pace. I couldn't believe it, and I also couldn't breathe. I needed water right away, so I cooled down by walking over to grab a bottle of water. When we saw the results, I was proud, but I'm not going to lie... I was pretty upset with myself because I was 1 place away from getting a medal. If I had run a little faster, I would've placed third. I quickly realized that I couldn't be thinking like that... that I had surpassed goals and had really accomplished something, medal not included. I didn't give up... I pushed myself harder than ever before... I beat my PR for a mile AND a 5K. We can't go around comparing ourselves to others, nor can we wonder what if, all that we can do is give something our all and hope for the best.
We decided to head to the bar later that day for some drinks and football, and of course, since Sal's Packers were playing, we knew that we were going to watch the game, so why not have a good time out while we're at it. Thankfully that Packers won, or I'm sure that would've been one hell of a ride home, and not the good kind.
He supports me, and in return I support him. GO PACK GO!
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