So despite my super supportive boyfriend's claims- I am not a runner.
I prefer when the term "jogging" was in fashion. Because at best, I am a jogger.
Mostly I am someone who focuses on putting one foot in front of the other.
I had registered for the Monument 10K run in Richmond no less than 4 times.
I walked it one year.
Most years, I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of my bed then the attempt to run 6.2 miles. A distance I thought beyond my reach.
Then I made a new years resolution- to actually run the 10k
I bought some new running gear. And before the 10k date, I had logged 50 miles in training.
Still slow. Still jogging at best. But I had done a 5 mile run at my longest and thought that would be good to set me up for the big day.
The Wed before the Sat race, I hurt my back. I spent all of Thursday in pain, with a massage to try to work out the kinks, with heating pads, ice packs and lots of Advil.
I took it easy Friday.
Saturday morning came- it was cool and rainy. Previous years that would have been more than enough to turn back to bed. Heck previous years I would have called it quits on the Wednesday.
But not this year.
I promised my boyfriend that I would walk if I needed to, that I wouldn't further injure myself.
And I put one foot in front of another.
And another.
And another.
And another.
6.2 miles and 69min 44sec later... I had completed a 10k.
I jogged the whole way. Stopping at 2 water breaks to stretch my back and drink my water.
But I did it.
And as I begin my new journey into the half marathon training (something else I thought I could/would never do) I don't want to forget how happy I was to complete my first 10k. I may not be like my uber-runner friends but like my new running shirt says "running slow is not a character flaw- quitting is."
