NSV - I Never thought...

cessnaholly

Today I ran my first 5k. I ran the whole thing. No shortcuts. No walking. No stopping. On pavement, grass and rocks.

I never in a million years thought I'd be here. I was hit by a drunk driver in 1996 - I couldn't walk without pain for 2 years after that, never ran again, had to quit hockey and tennis. Gained a ton of weight. Bed rest with bad pregnancy in 2006 and 2008 (yes, twice). More weight. Fell and broke both ankles at once in 2009. 2 years of PT. One ankle/foot healed badly - still hurts to run/walk sometimes. Started MFP 1 year ago. Lost 33 lbs or so. Started C25K in January this year. Fell Sunday night and hurt my butt/hips so it hurts to walk. Seriously. :laugh:

With MFP friends, my husband, and my brother encouraging me I ran my first 5k today. That's right. All those challenges and I did it. I did it slowly. I finished dead last. It took me 1 hour and 1 minute.

Everyone promised me that they'd wait for me no matter how long it took. My brother, a police officer and ex-military "ran" with me. By "ran" I mean he tried to run slowly but looked ridiculous because he's like 6'3" and runs at like 8 mph. But he ran right with me at my super slow pace. Not too fast, not too slow. I offered to let him finish at his pace and them come back to get me but he said NOPE! He said today was about my finishing and he was going to stand by me. I watched as other folks took short cuts through the loops. My brother offered me the option. But I said, no. I learned from MFP that the first 5 minutes are the hardest, to watch the horizon and to think happy thoughts. I had my power music on. And I remembered to go my pace - not anyone else's pace. I remembered that I am only against myself. 2 mph it was.

The race folks were so nice, they kept the water stations open until I passed. The little guy in the cart didn't pressure me. He just would ride by every once in awhile, give a big smile and thumbs up. When I got toward the end, one of the other runners came out to run with me to the finish. At the finish line they all cheered, runners, race workers, my husband and my little puppy. They had an announcer guy who encouraged me over the loud speaker. Folks cheered for me. For ME! It was amazing.

Phew - I gotta go put these tired feet up!

(OH - and the best part - when I told the guy at the shirt table I wanted an XL, he said it was too big for me and gave me a L - and IT FIT)

hoppinfroggin22

Way to go!!!! I know it felt good when you crossed the finish line all that hard work pays off!

Papillon22

Congratulations! what an incredible achievement! :flowerforyou:

piper4596

Congratulations! That is amazing that you didn't let anything stop you. You're an inspiration!

lisabrezina1980

Wonderful!!! Good for you!! This is the best post I have ever read. I hope this memory and that feeling stays with you for a long time. Congrats!

NaurielR

Way. To. Go!!!!

Its one thing to be quick and athletic and not have any problem finishing a 5k

Its quite another to have all the set backs you've had, and still persevere and push yourself to the very end.

Mad props to you, my friend. Your tenacity and ability to push yourself to your own extreme is *far* more admirable than just being good at running.

You're an inspiration to me. There's other people out there pushing themselves as far as they can go. I'm going to do the same

Thanks for the motivation

Keep up the epic spirit.

77tes

That is an amazing accomplishment, especially considering your recent injury.:drinker: I'm so glad that you got to run.:bigsmile: You have made great strides!

dvisser1

It's through life's challenges we find out how strong we really are, and you are one great inspiration!

Congrats on finishing the 5k and thank you for sharing!

FoodieGal09

Congrats, amazing NSV.
You're a real inspiration!

migoi357

On April 21, I told you: "Don't think..DO! You're there, you're ready, you rock, you WILL kick the hills in the butt, you are going to breeze across the finish line with a smile on your face... huddle up...GO HOLLY Go...break."

So today I say... told ya so.

Congratulations, wonderful accomplishment. Be proud of your progress, you rock!

autumnk921

WOW!! That is Super Fantastic!! You are inspiring to say the least!! Thank you so much for sharing and Congrats on finishing the race!! :flowerforyou:

tobirhae

Your story literally brought tears to my eyes. Great work! And go give your brother a big hug- how great of him to do that with you. You should be so proud!

inchestopinch

Wow!! Very inspiring!! Congratulations and that is definitely a terrific brother you have! :flowerforyou:

XXXMinnieXXX

Wonderful NSV :-) Thanks for sharing! X

sparkie2bfit

Thank you for inspiring me to push through the pain. There is the other side :flowerforyou:

mcorange01

Your story has brought tears to my eyes. Such an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing. No matter what the obstacles, all things are possible. So happy for you! Awesome.

mariam_mel

Your story has brought tears to my eyes. Such an inspiration to us all. Thank you for sharing. No matter what the obstacles, all things are possible. So happy for you! Awesome.

THIS ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^