My First 5k: Dash Of Hope

The first run I ever did was called the Dash Of Hope 5k. It was in September 2013. 

When I first signed up for this, I didn't think it would be that difficult. I thought I would be a little slower of a runner than I was in High School, but I trusted my body to carry me to the finish line. I was wrong. I tried running for the first time in years about a week before this run, and I couldn't get to the end of my block without stopping. I couldn't believe it! I felt awful. I couldn't believe how out of shape I had become. 

When I talk about how I've become "out of shape", I'm talking about the feeling in my body, not my outward appearance. When I ran for the first time, I felt heavy. Slow. Tired. Unhealthy. This is how I felt. Others will always feel differently because everyone is different, but I did NOT feel good.

I was determined to keep going. I just wanted to get to half a mile without stopping. That was my first goal. I didn't have a gym membership at the time so I just ran around a couple blocks in my neighborhood. I had some hand-me-down running shoes and no sports bra. I was wearing my everyday one. I didn't care. I just ran. The second day I ran, I woke up sore but I was able to get twice as far as the day before. It still wasn't very far, but I knew my body was reacting positively to the new changes I was making for it.  This knowledge is what helped me pushed myself to keep going until I got to 1 mile.

On race day, I was so proud of myself in my race shirt and bib that was provided to me for registering, but I was super nervous. I just did not want to come in last! Everyone there was super nice and even though I felt a bit self conscious about my body(because I didn't look like most of the runners there), no one else seemed to notice. It was just a day that everyone came together to support a cause. And run. Everyone was there to support each other. There were no judgments. There was no hate. 

During my race I stopped a bunch of times. I can't remember how many times now, but I remember it was quite a few. I couldn't get a great pace, and I think that was because I had my phone with headphones and music and that helped to push myself, but I was hurting. My leg muscles hurt. My feet hurt. I was sweating(and I hated sweating at the time). My hair was a hot mess. People kept passing me. I didn't feel like I was doing that great of a job... until I saw the finish line just around the corner. 

It was the home stretch! I ran as fast as I could! I wanted to finish strong! My timing was about 47 minutes. I had finished in under an hour, and I was happy.

After the 3.1 mile run, the longest distance I had ever ran, I decided I wanted to keep running more. It started to become a slow addiction! It was such a good feeling. My body started feeling better. I wasn't as tired during the day. My sleep was better. I wanted to start eating better. It seemed like a great start for me.

It was my little Dash of Hope.