A Ten Kilometer Journey

On Saturday morning I ran my very first 10K. I did not know what to expect as to what this experience would be like. And I was nervous! (Mostly about having to poop mid-run). I can tell you this: Any nerves and anxiety I had over this run were well worth it! It was an incredible experience. And I can now understand why people run half marathons, and marathons year after year, because this feeling...is just that good.

There were many amazing things about this race that made it special. To start, it was a ladies only 10k. Girl Power!!! There was something truly empowering about running through the streets of Manhattan, and  Central Park with a pack of 8,000 women. I felt proud to be a woman and proud to be a part of that group

I ran this race with my best gal--Becca Girl. And, even though she ran faster than me, and I literally watched her pony-tail from afar, it was a special experience we shared together.

I listened to three songs on repeat the entire hour and four minutes that I ran. Mmhmm. I pep talked myself to keep going many times. I felt excitement as I watched spectators cheer us on. I kept my eyes on the girl in front of me who had the words, "I'm not a quitter and neither are you. Now you keep running," written on her back. (This sign literally motivated me to keep running, and not stop to walk once). I nearly cried when almost a mile of the course was uphill. But each time I ran past the mile markers, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and finally crossing the finish line...the excitement, and feeling of true accomplishment grew.

I am proud of myself. It's a rare thing to announce this past the age of ten. But, it's true. I feel proud. I put in a lot of hard work to get to this point, and it paid off. It's a lesson as old as time. If you work hard for something, you can achieve what you want. After a long day at school, did I want to come home, drop off my stuff, and go on a four mile run? Hell no. But, am I glad that I forced myself to do this?  Hell yeah! Because, the feeling I felt when I crossed the finish line was indescribable, and far more emotional than I had ever anticipated. It was a mixture of pride, happiness, relief and pure elation.  The entirely positive feelings I felt when I crossed the finish line outweighed any of the negatives that took place during the course of the race. It made all  of the training and challenges completely worth it. Even though, I did not come in 1st place, (I came in 3,083rd), I still feel like I won something. I won the realization that hard work really and truly pays off in the end. Thank you Ladies Only 10k, you've made quite an impact on me.