Finish the Race

That's what I did this past weekend. I finished a race! Daryl and I ran in our first 5K - The Tulsa State Fair Corndog Classic. We started training with Couch to 5K on August 1st and had just started our final week with a 30 minute run two days before the race. We probably weren't quite ready for a 5K, but proceeds from the Corndog Classic benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, so how could we not! Well, our 30 minutes of running/jogging evidently did not equal the distance of 3.1 miles, because it took more than 30 minutes to finish the race. And I'll admit to a little bit of walking, but I finished with a time of 37:54. Daryl did great and finished with no walking and a time of 34:54. 

After completing chemo and getting my energy back, I told Daryl we should do Couch to 5K so we could participate in some cancer runs. He put me off for awhile and then became the best coach and cheerleader ever! I sometimes... a lot of times... have big ideas but not the discipline to see them through to the end. This would have been no different if Daryl wasn't such a concrete-sequential person! 

My Race Encouragement

About 2/3 through the run, I was ready to quit. I started walking and didn't care if I started running again, finished the race, or even participated in another race. But not too long after crossing the finish line - yes, I gave it my all running across the finish line - I was thinking about what training we still need to do so I can eventually run the whole 5K!

I have to admit, this is the hardest I have ever pushed my body - well, besides the cancer and chemo thing - HA! I've never done anything that was very hard physically (having babies doesn't count). I was always the band/choir geek but didn't even push myself as hard as I could with music. Honestly, I'm kind of lazy. And if I don't have time to complete a project from start to finish, I may never start it.

Training for a race has been a great experience even though there have been times I thought I wasn't going to make it! It's been fun to have a goal and watch the progress of our training. Now we're looking for the next race to enter that will benefit cancer organizations. It's been fun training with Daryl, otherwise I'd be sitting back on the couch after the first week!

I'm sure without going through cancer and chemo I'd never even consider running a 5K. Now I realize I'm stronger than I thought, and I have a drive I didn't have before. Whether I ever completely run a 5K or even improve my time, in so many ways, I know through God's amazing grace, I'm an OVERCOMER!

You're an overcomer
Stay in the fight ‘til the final round
You're not going under
‘Cause God is holding you right now
You might be down for a moment
Feeling like it's hopeless
That's when He reminds You
That you're an overcomer
You're an overcomer