this race was about my redemption. I had something to prove – to me, myself and I.
You see I was recently divorced.
I started training before it was actually finalized as a way to push through my depression and anxiety. And if I’m being completely honest, I needed to prove that I still had IT. You know – that even without a man, I was desirable.
And I had allowed myself to wallow in self pity for too long while separated. It was time to get up, dust myself off and keep it moving.
I took pictures with friends before we started the race and my adrenaline was pumping. There were two lanes – one for walking, the other for running. I looked condescendingly at the people in the walking lane and thought to myself “why would I enter a 5k to WALK?”
The time came to take your positions and I joined the runners, full of anticipation. Music was blaring in my ear.
3…2…1…GO!
I took off in full stride with a smile on my face. I was doing it! I had overcome my hesitation to enter the race, put in the work to get physically and mentally fit and now it was happening. The first mile felt like a breeze.