MY FIRST 5K

I wasn't in the best possible conditions. Call it 'some emotional upheavals', and what is more, I hadn't been able to prepare myself properly for it - I hadn't even taken some good rest.

But I'm no quitter. I had enrolled into the event, I had paid for it, I wanted my T-shirt as well as to take part in this run in favour of the fight against breast cancer.

So I showed up. October 15th, 2011, 10 am. The sun was shining furiously. The organisers kept us waiting for half an hour. I was dehydrated. I drank too much liquid and then couldn't find the toilets. But the countdown started, and I stood near the start.

0:00. I started... walking. Walkers and runners were placed together, so it took me some time to avoid and pass walkers. Around 0:30, I could start jogging. I followed other runners who had to leave the pavement and run on the side grass. And then I could join the runners.

500 metres. I had to put up and deal with side stitches. Phew!

No signs for kilometres, no distance markers. I was running blind.

About 2K. I could see runners coming back from the opposite side. So the road had an end, and then runners and walkers were supposed to do a U-turn and come back, as undoing the way. I could already see runners coming back, but heck, I couldn't see the end of the road...

... Oh heck, when I got there... Now I am supposed to undo ALL OF IT (so so so so SO LONG), and by the time I reach the beginning/end of this segment, I still have another kilometre to go? I'll still be far from the finish line? Oh, heck, no!!!

"If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" "Freebird", by Lynyrd Skynyrd sounding in my headphones... Time to speed up. Oh, I can already see the finish line!

OH MY GOD I DID IT!!!

I'VE RUN MY FIRST 5K!!!

I CAN RUN 5K!!!

... I don't know what else to say here. I'm overwhelmed!

(Thanks, Bran, for training me for this!)

4K - SUCCESS!

I've run my first 4K. 6:56 min/km. 1 minute less per kilometre, and 1 additional kilometre, as my last run in June was a 3K.

I CAN DO THIS!!!

And I will run a 5K in 9 days. I will get to the finish line running. And I will be successful! Victory will be mine!

I GO FOR IT AND I GET IT!

Thanks, Bran, for empowering me to achieve this... And thanks, Pre, for all the inspiration I've got from you!!! PRE LIVES!!!

Running tomorrow

... So tomorrow, it's gonna be THE day. I'm running again! And this time, I'm flying higher. On my last run, New Balance 3K, June 12th, I ran a 3k. Now I'm going for the 4K. Boy, how bold and self-determined can I be!

So this time, I'm giving everything I have, everything I am and everything I can be, for the sake of my dreams. I'm not weak, and I'm not unconfident, unsure, insecure, hesitant or diffident. Not anymore. I can do this. I can run 4K! 

... Yes, it's been a while since I last ran. No, I haven't run over 1K in several months. So what? Of course running is about agility, optimum heart rates and lung capacity, endurance... All of these are elements you can only acquire through training. Well, I may not have trained to be more agile, as my knee has been bothering me a lot lately. But the thing is, I've been training to get stronger. That has implied working out to expand my chest and raise my heart rate. AND, what's even more important, I can endure longer and tougher workout sessions - I can even exercise twice a day! 

That's why I'm certain I'm going to make it to the finish line tomorrow. Because I've got the guts to do it, I'm self-determined, I'm strong and I JUST CAN DO IT. I know it from the bottom of my heart. The odds might be against me, but I don't care about it. I've got the passion and the will. I'll find the way. I'll find my pace, I'll command my body not to stop, I know the route and my personal trainer will be there. I'll be running around the spot where, by coincidence or not, we train twice a week. I'll feel at home there. And I'm a warrioress - I'm not quitting.

So, runners - let's meet at the start line tomorrow, and let's go for it! GO, GO, GO, GO, GO!!!