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A little background... I have been overweight since I was in the 4th grade. Always the "fat girl", I never felt like I fit in. Even as an athletic cheerleader and softball player, I still saw myself as fat and not good enough. After over 20 some years of emotional eating/food addiction, something happened that lit a spark in me to step outside of my comfort zone and dedicate myself to something that I have ZERO faith I could do. A dear friend and co-worker of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer early on last school year. After losing my grandfather to cancer, this news devastated me. However, in her diagnosis she taught so many of us what courage, faith, and hope really are. She hardly ever missed one day of work unless she was having a treatment. She never let anyone see her discouraged. She accepted this diagnosis and had the attitude that she was gonna FIGHT and WIN her battle.
Our school always has a team for the Susan G. Komen race and I have walked it in the past. However, with Rebecca's diagnosis and going through this experience with her, I felt LEAD to do more. If she could fight this terrible disease with a smile on her face, surely I could show my support for her by doing something no one, not even Rebecca, would think I would do. I committed myself to RUN the 2013 Komen Race in honor of Rebecca. Three times a week starting in February I would stay after school and do my 5K runner app on my phone. Coworkers were surprised but didn't really say much until one day I was running after school in the pouring snow. People saw that I was REALLY going to do this. Rebecca was so happy and she cried just about everyday she saw me running.
So May comes and I finish my very first 5K in 53:15 seconds. I was so discouraged. I took off waaaayyyy too fast and by the time I hit the mansion I was ready to go home. I stuck it out with "Team Rebecca" on my mind and crossed the finish line in tears and nearly hyperventilating.
Here were my two goals for the race:
"My main goal for the race is to apply all the things you have taught us and in doing so, I want to get my time from 54 minutes (Biggest Loser 5K) to 49:59. I know that is a lofty goal and if I fullfil it, I will be thrilled but if I don't I will be happy in knowing I still applied what I have learned to do the very best job I can do.
My second goal for the race is to keep the negative thoughts out of my head. When I see people passing me and want to say how slow I am going, I need to be able to push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on each step is getting me closer to the finish line"
The start of the CDR was so different from the other two races. Easy start.....I just kept saying that over and over in my head. I kept pace with many red shirts for about the first half mile. I realized I was in last place when Diana "the sweeper" was running with me. We talked a little about how I was feeling and she really helped keep the positive thoughts going in my mind. I enjoyed running with her and it helped take the focus off the fact that I was last once again.
About that time is when I told Diana about my goal of finishing at under 50 minutes. We assessed my time and pretty much came to the realization that that was not going to happen. For a moment I was so disappointed but then she told me that there was a cut off for the medal and I still had enough time to make it. So somewhere around Ruffner, I kicked it in super gear. I could keep it up for a few minutes at a time and then would need to walk. Diana encouraged me to keep the 1-2-3 pace even while walking and after that I felt more in control of my run/walk scenario I had going on.
So we make the last turn to the straight road into Laidley…the finish line was SOOOOOO close and everyone was cheering me on (My two best friends had pom poms). I rounded the last corner and told Diana I thought I was going to throw up. She told me to back off a bit but at the same time I saw my 7 year old and 4 year old jumping up and down screaming so loud and proud for me that I just booked it through the finish line. And guess what???? They handed me a MEDAL!!! I made the cut off.
I was so relieved that the race was over and enjoyed celebrating with all of my Genesis friends,
Thank you for everything you taught me, for listening to me after the first class when I really just didn't think I could do this. Tracey and Dan both had encouraged me to do the program for a while and I was really just hesitant to have someone "critique" my running or to tell me what I was doing wrong. I had my guard up and it took me a few weeks to really see that what I had pictured in my mind of the program was no where near what it was. I am even more encouraged now that I have been before to keep running. Since Feb I have lost 40 pounds and have had so many people say that they are inspired in what I have done.
The first pic is my pom pom squad and the second picture is me with my inspiration, Miss Rebecca, at my first 5K in May.
Our school always has a team for the Susan G. Komen race and I have walked it in the past. However, with Rebecca's diagnosis and going through this experience with her, I felt LEAD to do more. If she could fight this terrible disease with a smile on her face, surely I could show my support for her by doing something no one, not even Rebecca, would think I would do. I committed myself to RUN the 2013 Komen Race in honor of Rebecca. Three times a week starting in February I would stay after school and do my 5K runner app on my phone. Coworkers were surprised but didn't really say much until one day I was running after school in the pouring snow. People saw that I was REALLY going to do this. Rebecca was so happy and she cried just about everyday she saw me running.
So May comes and I finish my very first 5K in 53:15 seconds. I was so discouraged. I took off waaaayyyy too fast and by the time I hit the mansion I was ready to go home. I stuck it out with "Team Rebecca" on my mind and crossed the finish line in tears and nearly hyperventilating.
Here were my two goals for the race:
"My main goal for the race is to apply all the things you have taught us and in doing so, I want to get my time from 54 minutes (Biggest Loser 5K) to 49:59. I know that is a lofty goal and if I fullfil it, I will be thrilled but if I don't I will be happy in knowing I still applied what I have learned to do the very best job I can do.
My second goal for the race is to keep the negative thoughts out of my head. When I see people passing me and want to say how slow I am going, I need to be able to push those thoughts out of my mind and focus on each step is getting me closer to the finish line"
The start of the CDR was so different from the other two races. Easy start.....I just kept saying that over and over in my head. I kept pace with many red shirts for about the first half mile. I realized I was in last place when Diana "the sweeper" was running with me. We talked a little about how I was feeling and she really helped keep the positive thoughts going in my mind. I enjoyed running with her and it helped take the focus off the fact that I was last once again.
About that time is when I told Diana about my goal of finishing at under 50 minutes. We assessed my time and pretty much came to the realization that that was not going to happen. For a moment I was so disappointed but then she told me that there was a cut off for the medal and I still had enough time to make it. So somewhere around Ruffner, I kicked it in super gear. I could keep it up for a few minutes at a time and then would need to walk. Diana encouraged me to keep the 1-2-3 pace even while walking and after that I felt more in control of my run/walk scenario I had going on.
So we make the last turn to the straight road into Laidley…the finish line was SOOOOOO close and everyone was cheering me on (My two best friends had pom poms). I rounded the last corner and told Diana I thought I was going to throw up. She told me to back off a bit but at the same time I saw my 7 year old and 4 year old jumping up and down screaming so loud and proud for me that I just booked it through the finish line. And guess what???? They handed me a MEDAL!!! I made the cut off.
I was so relieved that the race was over and enjoyed celebrating with all of my Genesis friends,
Thank you for everything you taught me, for listening to me after the first class when I really just didn't think I could do this. Tracey and Dan both had encouraged me to do the program for a while and I was really just hesitant to have someone "critique" my running or to tell me what I was doing wrong. I had my guard up and it took me a few weeks to really see that what I had pictured in my mind of the program was no where near what it was. I am even more encouraged now that I have been before to keep running. Since Feb I have lost 40 pounds and have had so many people say that they are inspired in what I have done.
The first pic is my pom pom squad and the second picture is me with my inspiration, Miss Rebecca, at my first 5K in May.