Running... A Metaphor For Life

"Running is a metaphor for life:  There is always someone faster than you, always someone slower.  All you can do is hang in there and put your heart into it."

What a powerful statement that is.  Since March, I have been attempting to train for a 5k (3.1 miles).  There were many hinderances, many excuses that were made.  I made it to the fourth and most progressive week, and found I couldn't physically handle it.  Mistah ran with me.  Ashley Ran with me.  But, for some reason, my body wouldn't let me push beyond a certain limit.  It was at that point I discovered I was pregnant.  A few weeks later, after having experienced abdominal pain and bleeding, our joy became short-lived, and we were rushed to the Operating Room for a D&C: We had miscarried. 


It took me months to heal, both mentally and physically.  Mistah continued to train hard, I had fallen into a depressive-state.  I didn't want to climb out of bed, didn't want to ride the bike, didn't want to run.  In September, I put my running shoes on, and began the RunningMateMedia 5k-101 Training all over.  It was painful, but not as painful as when I first started: breathing hurt, my lower back always seemed to hurt, and blisters covered my feet. 


I'm in my fifth week now, with three weeks to go, running for longer periods with shorter breaks, and have scheduled to run alongside my husband in my first 5k just before Halloween!  The last time I've felt like this would have been my freshman year, training for the first Swim Meet, and having to dive off of the block, and swimming the hardest stroke: Butterfly.  Within a week, I had dropped my time from 1:41 to 1:29, and it continued to drop throughout three years of competing.

"In running, it doesn't matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last.  You can say, 'I have finished.' There is a lot of satisfaction in that."
Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon Co-Founder