My First 5K!

I have been involved in athletics my entire life.

 

My father was a well-known soccer coach when I was growing up,
winning multiple titles, coach of the year,
securing the most career wins in the state of VA at his time,
and even holds the third place spot, today.

He also went on to be an athletic director at a high school
for 17 years, including finding time to coach
my brother’s soccer team at one point.

 

So, naturally, being involved in sports as a kid
was just something that was going to happen for my siblings and I.

But, I loved it.

 

While I was obsessed with soccer and volleyball and just about
any sport where I was given the opportunity to show up
boys and even get injured,

for some reason, I hated running.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved it during soccer,
but the idea of running without a soccerball at my feet
was just excruciating to me.

 

A pain I still have today, sadly, not having touched a soccerball in years.

I love exercising and aerobics,
most specifically yoga and pilates,
but running is still a sore topic to me.

 

So, when my sister and her best friend asked me to join her in a
5K race last weekend in memory of a friend of hers
who had recently passed away,
I was a little nervous and skeptical,
but decided to just go for it and support her.

 

When the morning of the race came, however, I wasn’t exactly
in the best condition to run a 5k,
for which I not only did not train for,
but was also scared of to begin with.

I showed up at 8 AM with no sleep the night before
and had even woken up with stomach nerves that kept me
in the bathroom on my knees (TMI, but it had to be said).
Needless to say, I wasn’t able to eat a breakfast, either.

 

I had resolved myself to back out of the race
and just watch in support, but thanks to my friends,
I was convinced to try it out and work with what I had.

 

Yeah, I almost passed out.

 

I was able to complete the race, but let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.
Despite having to stop and walk a few times on this very hilly course,
and getting dizzy multiple times,
I can honestly say that I am actually really glad that
they convinced me to go for it.
I pushed myself farther than I have in anything
in a really long time and being able to say

“Hey, guess what? I did a 5k”
feels amazing.

 

I wasn’t first, but I certainly wasn’t last.
Which, is a motivation to do another one soon,

this time training for it and getting lots of rest the night before.
I figure, if I can complete something like that
in the condition I showed up in,
then I should be able to do it again,
in better shape and maybe even do well.

I’m so proud of myself and reccomend a race like this for anybody
looking for a “pick-me-up,”
even if you hate running as much as I do.

Especially for such a great reason and with great friends like these.

P.s. my sister, Vasilia, was unable to race due to back problems
from a recent car accident,
but having her on the sideline cheering me on was the best!
Thanks Silly!

 

 

 

What do you think of my medal??