Details Details Detail....more so for me but read if you need to find hope!

How can I even begin to give this evening justice? There is so much attached to the feat I have personally accomplished an hour ago and to top it off it was totally out of the blue.
For starters I have to admit a humbling truth….I have NEVER been good at running. Maybe it was my attitude towards it. I utterly cringed as I heard the words “mile today” as they left the P.E. coaches mouth. My standard time then was about 6:50. At one point I felt driven to push it and made a 5 something (Maybe considered good for that age who knows) all I knew is I was never first. Now WOW I would be thrilled to get an 8:00. Never the less I dreaded it. Here's my dirty little secret, I have never in my LIFE ran consistently more than the short distance of a mile. So there I said it. May be it was the fact it wasn’t quick gratification. I loved sprints…I mean I TRULY LOVED them. My all time favorite was the 100 meter Dash in Jr. High. I would try to get others to race me ‘just for fun’ even when I didn’t have to in school. Tennis, sure the ball goes flying at top speed and in a second it comes straight back. Again instant gratification.
Well 15 to 20 years later here I am, out of shape - nothing to prove and slowly accepted my body that I thought would never have. Boo Hoo right. RIGHT! So once I heard of Ragnar I knew it was something that would keep me striving for the goal of being physically fit (or close to).
The first run about 2 1/2 weeks ago (ummm around the BLOCK) I will not lie I felt nauseous. I couldn’t eat the rest of the day because I honestly thought I would vomit. I was a bit concerned at this point. The next few runs got a little easier but I could never -UNTIL TONIGHT- run longer than about 3 minutes -yes MINUTES- with out fast walking for 30 to 60 seconds in between. I never had enough air, literally gasping to the point of the choking feeling and my shoulders felt as though they had a buck knife imbedded in each side. This was NOT looking good. But I just kept telling myself, if they can do it so can I …eventually.

Well, tonight I had the most unbelievable experience happen to me that may be common to some, but not for me. We finished up the Mother Daughter activity at Stacia’s this evening and after cleaning up the mess I created (sorry Stacia) it ended up being around 9:00. Dropped off Tressa , she mentions that we should go running. Hesitantly I tell her to call if she decides to after her kids are asleep. Well it gets to be 10:00 and I am in my Pajama’s. The thought of the race is still happening whether I train or not and my schedule said 3 miles for today (which I have only walk-ran 2.5 before) So I decide to give it a shot. Now that this story has completely dragged on I will not do the adventure justice. All I can say is I have no words to describe it. I passed the 3 minute mark with no shoulder pain (concentrated on breathing right and getting oxygen to my muscles), decided to continue on running without the 30 sec walk to catch my breath. All I can say is this went on (not stopping…once) for an hour and EXACTLY 5 miles. I wont be too prideful to not tell you that I cried a few times realizing the incredible achievement that was for me. The most amazing part about it was I had pain of course from my knee’s, my lifelong story, but I never once thought I could not go any further. The night was incredibly peaceful, the weather felt great and more so than ANYTHING I knew I had to have had help that was beyond my capability at this point in my level of running. I am so grateful and I feel there is now hope for me in the miles ahead to Ragnar! Thank you to all my friends who had told me to not give up.

THE ICE DOWN AFTER..... 5 mile 11:30 minute pace (not the greatest...but IT IS FOR ME!)