, and I can honestly say that it is something I will never forget.For about three or four weeks, I worked on running longer and longer without stopping, and eventually I got to where I could go for about 20 minutes. I wanted to see how far I had gone and found out that I had run just under two miles, quite a bit short of a 5K race, but pretty good nonetheless.
I continued to work at it, because if at all possible, I was hoping to run the entire 5K race without stopping to walk. As the day approached, I was getting closer and closer to being able to complete the entire distance without stopping, but was still not quite there yet. I knew that it was likely I would get right up to the end of the race and have to stop, and to be completely honest, that kind of depressed me.
On the day of the 5K race, I said a little prayer and drove out to the location where the race would be held. I told myself that even if I had to stop running and walk the remaining half kilometer I had not yet been able to complete, it would not be the end of the world. I had already dropped almost 40 pounds of extra weight at this point and was feeling much better.
I am proud to say that I completed the entire 5K race that day without stopping to walk at the end. It was kind of funny, because I guess I sort of got over the hump that day, or maybe it was the extra adrenaline, but I did not even feel like I was going to struggle at the end. In fact, not to sound cocky, but I believe I could have run a little more if necessary, and while I was not close to finishing first in the race, there were many more people behind me than there were in front of me.
Running the 5K race was a great experience for me, because it provided a challenge when I pretty much felt that the challenges in my life were over. Preparing for the race helped get me into good shape, and completing it gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I have run many 5K races since then, but I will never forget the first one.
