Santa Scramble

Today was the 5k Santa Scramble. I've been nervous about this race because I've had some health problems and haven't been able to work out very much over the last two months. It all started because I had some numbness on one side of my face, blurred vision and my hearing in one ear went out of whack. I had a short hospital stay and they told me that I had a TIA, which is a mini stroke. I was floored because I've been doing so well, eating better, losing about 65 pounds, exercising and weight lifting. Luckily, I didn't have any permanent damage and after multiple tests and labwork, they sent me on my way. It taught me that I need to take better care of myself and that in a blink of an eye, life can change. Since I've been given the "go ahead" to start exercising again, I decided to try the Santa Scramble. This was one of the fastest races in the area. Probably not the smartest way to "start" exercising again...

Needless to say, I wasn't able to keep up with the pack of runners. In fact, I was lagging behind at the end of the race. A huge motivating factor was that the Christmas parade was behind me. I had visions of the seniors trampling me while they were twirling their batons. Not a pretty picture... On either side of me were crowds of families, just waiting for the parade to come. Some were cheering, others were not. I was ready to give up when I saw someone up ahead that was also walking at a fast pace. I thought if I just caught up to her, then I'd be okay. I finally caught up to her and we walked the rest of the race together. She was so friendly. I was relieved that I had someone to walk with. Best of all, she's already a member of mfp. It's been wonderful to get support from mfp friends online but I had the privledge of walking my first 5k with one. It made me think - I wonder if we've come across each other on mfp but just didn't know it. I wonder how many other mfp members I've bumped into at the gym or at the park.

I want to give her a big THANK YOU! We did it! We finished!!!