I’m Back with A Boom!!!
Wow! I’ve resurrected this blog!
My mission has not been accomplished so it’s time to actualise my dream and this time, I’m putting a time limit on it! 365 days! Relentless effort until I get my weight out of my way!
I’ll tell you how I re-energised my goal.
Yesterday, I completed my first ever 5k competition. Yay!!!
It is indeed an achievement for me!
I’m not a girl that runs. I don’t even walk if I don’t have to! Up until very recently, I believed that those who run for “no reason” have something wrong with them. I could understand running to catch a bus or a train, or running to flee from an animal that is intent on causing you harm or to devour you. However, just running “for the sake of it” as I thought at the time, I couldn’t get it! I grew up in Nigeria; and there, the longest distance, most athletes enter into is 1500 metres. I guess we don’t believe in running round in circles. Well, not too many! Haha!
My younger brother is a runner! He got hooked to running a few years back and has run everything there is to run: marathons and triathlons, the lot! Now he runs up hills and caves. I too, thought he was having a midlife crisis. But now having done my first 5k, I think I’ve caught the bug too! The feeling I got as I crossed the line was amazing! What made it awesome was the conversation I had with my 11-year old son, Joshua, a few metres into the race. I had planned to run with him but this is what transpired.
| Joshua | : | Mum, ….. you are going to do your best in this race, aren’t you?
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| Me | : | (wondering where the conversation is heading) Uhmm, Ye-es…..
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| Joshua | : | And you want me to run my best, don’t you?
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| Me | : | (Long pause, knowing where the conversation is heading) Uhm, uhm…
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| Joshua | : | Then I’m going to have to leave you. But don’t worry. If I see you during the race I will shout out to encourage you. And when I cross the finishing line, knowing I have got my medal will make you want to get yours too. |
I heard him shout “Mum, look at me!” from the crowd at 1.5k. It was Joshua running in the opposite direction, approaching 3k. I never saw him again until the end of the race.
And off he went.
But he inspired me to continue. Knowing he had got his medal made me want to get mine too!
It was hilly. It was pouring down with rain. It was muddy! My muscles sobbed. My ankles cried in pain. A few ladies fell in the mud. I had every excuse to give in and give up. But kilometre after kilometre, I plodded on. I am never going to have a first 5k again. I had every reason to complete this challenge. My little man was waiting for me to finish the race. So I continued. I was not going to stop plodding.
And I plodded until the end and saw him beaming with a smile.
And then he came along and hugged me and said: “I am so proud of you! I did it in 37.36. What time did you get?”
| Me | : | Just over an hour 1 hand 3 minutes. If I was your size I’ll do it in half the time! |
| Joshua | : | So why aren’t you, mummy? I would have wanted to run beside you all the way? |
| Me | : | Uhmm, actually, why aren’t I? (No answer, I couldn’t answer!)
(Long pause, I’m thinking) How about next time, I do a 5k, half my size in half the time? |
| Joshua | : | (Pauses in thought)
Uhmm, how about we do 10k in the same time you did today? You’ll be half your size, so you could do double the distance? |
| Me | : | Uhmm…….O k! That’s a deal! |
| Joshua | : | Good, let’s shake on it! |
So that’s my next goal:
To run 10k in the time I did yesterday! 1 hour and 3 minutes
And then I thought, it’s time to resuscitate my blog. It’s time to revitalise my dream.
It’s time to get my weight out of my way for good!
And I’ve only got a year to do it!
Actions often start with a thought. And if you think you can, you will! That’s how I got to do my 5k! My mind conceived it, and eventually achieved it. So it’s time to make the thought of a 10k happen.
In the meantime, I’ll celebrate my medal. I’ve earned it!
And it was worth every step I took!
I’m back with a BOOM!!!
