I RAN MY FIRST 5K!!!!

I RAN MY FIRST 5K!!!! I DID IT!!!  On New Year's Day I got up at 8:00 in the morning and got ready to drive 30 minutes to the location of the "Annual Hangover 5K". I was SO nervous. Actually, I was scared to death. What if I was last? What if people laughed at the chubby girl trying to run a 5K? What if I couldn't finish? What if, what if, what if???? I felt nauseated and I almost thought of calling it off. But, I had been training for months to get ready for this and I had run it on the treadmill, so I knew I could finish it. But, most  importantly, I knew in my heart I would be so disappointed if I didn't do it. I've made so many excuses on my way to gaining 100 pounds, and I just didn't want to make one more excuse. I want to be a "finisher" and not a "quitter". So,  I woke my husband and my 12 year-old daughter and told them we were going. My husband said, great, they'd get ready and then he said he wasn't sure how serious I was about this. I said "very serious" and he said, "Let's go!" I love that man.
On the way there, my nerves were really getting the best of me and my husband could tell I was really nervous, so he said he and my daughter would run it with me. He is one of those amazing people who stays in pretty good shape all the time and so he can just decide one morning to run a 5K. And, my daughter had been in cross country for years and can run like the wind, so  I had no doubt they could join me with no problems. When we got there, we signed up and then WAITED. I saw many serious runners there, with special shoes and running gear and fancy gadgets to track their stats. I didn't care. I wasn't there to compete with anyone. I was there to compete against myself. I had something to prove, not to anyone else, but just to myself. There were some families running together and some older people running, too. I told my husband if the 80 year-old grandpa pushing his granddaughter in the running stroller beat me, I was just going to give up, but besides that, my only goal was really just to finish. I had told myself I would LOVE to finish in 45 minutes, but just finishing was the goal, and a 45 minute time, would be a bonus. My best time on the treadmill was 55 minutes, so 45 minutes was an aggressive goal for me.
We put ourselves at the back of the pack and when the horn went off, the first thing I noticed was that my lungs were burning! It was only 37 degrees and I wasn't used to the cold. I'd been training on the treadmill in my warm house, so the cold temperature really was a shock to my lungs. The next challenge I hadn't planned for were HILLS. Right at the start of the race was a long, steep hill. Wow, didn't see that coming! Many people walked/jogged up that hill, including me, but once at the top I started back into full run mode. After the fist mile, my lungs stopped burning and I got into a good stride. I was so thankful my family was with me. I was at the back of the pack and had I been alone, I might have felt so embarrassed I might have given up, but having them there with me, it felt okay to be at the back and we were running and having fun as a family. I'm so blessed to have such a loving and supportive family! The last mile there was another hill and my daughter had developed a blister, so my husband hung back with her so I could keep going. As I approached the last stretch, I saw the clock. I hadn't even been thinking about my time! I saw it said 46 minutes! I couldn't believe it! I thought with the cold air and the 2 killer hills, my time would be close to an hour, so imagine my surprise when I saw 46 minutes on the clock! I stepped up my pace and with complete strangers cheering me on, crossed the finished line at 47:21. I was elated! As I grabbed some water and started walking to my car,  I started to cry. I'd come so far. Just a few months ago I couldn't walk 3 minutes let alone run 3 miles. I'd lost 60 pounds and ran my first 5K at 42 years old. I was so thankful. I was thankful for the unbelievable support of my husband and kids. I was thankful for the encouragement of my family and friends. I was thankful for the support of my Prism group friends. I was thankful God had given me the strength to stick to my plan, even when I felt like giving up. I was thankful that finally at 42 years old, I'd learned to love myself enough to stop killing myself with food and start living life.
I'm so thankful I will never be this weight again!