Well, I told you all I would update you on how the 5K went. Funny you should ask! I followed my training very well for about two weeks. Then, we had company, my brother-in-law first, and then our two oldest children and our son’s wife and our grandson! I got so focused on cleaning and preparing that running went by the wayside.
The day after everyone left, I decided to run a mile. After this I didn’t stretch as well as I normally do, and a few hours later…a shin splint! And the race was in two days!
I read up on what to do…R.I.C.E. – rest, ice, compression and elevation. I put ice on it every 3-4 hours, putting my foot up. I also prayed!
The next day it was a little better, but still hurt to walk. “How am I going to run?” I thought. And we had somewhere to go right after the race that was time sensitive. “How am I going to run or walk fast enough?” was my next question.
I faithfully took care of myself that day, wondering if I should even run. I thought I could wrap it and that would help, but was it wise to run?
The next morning I woke up, looking at the Ziploc bag of now melted ice next to my bed. Would I need to put new ice in it? I stepped down onto the carpet, taking a few steps, and….NO pain! It was a miracle! I continued on with my day without the pain returning. Yea! I could run!
The morning of the race, my husband Rich and I stood with hundreds of others, waiting for the countdown. Our teenagers had wandered off, finding their friends.
“Three, two, one!” The buzzer sounded, and we were off! We moved first slowly, as a group, then people spread out, some walking, some jogging, some sprinting. Rich took off and I kept a relaxed pace. I was pretty happy when I saw the One Mile sign. I was doing about a 13 minute mile, which is pretty good for me. And no pain!
Throughout the course, people would be standing on the sidelines, shaking jingle bells and offering water or words of encouragement. About a half mile from the finish line, clusters of energetic young people hooted and hollered along the route. I gave them the thumbs-up sign to let them know they were appreciated.
I crossed the finish line at 41:05, pretty respectable for someone my age who did not train as diligently as I wished I had.
A friend called out to me, and he was standing with our kids and his son. They had beat me! I was proud of them! One had not really wanted to run, and the other had planned to walk, but saw the sibling running ahead and ran to catch up. The spirit of competitiveness had gotten the better of them.
We all did our best. While some of my family does not want to run another race, I am looking forward to the next one! It will give me another chance to work and train, and hopefully get in better shape and improve my time. I love second chances!
How about you? Are you feeling depressed or hopeless, that you’ve messed up too badly in some area of your life (exercise or something entirely different) and can’t try again? There’s almost always time to try again! If I can go two weeks without training, get a shin splint, and then run a decent time, there’s hope for you! I’d love to hear how you find encouragement or get yourself going after one of life’s derailments.
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