I Did It!

That's right -- today was race day -- and I DID IT!!! I will be the first to admit that it was rough. The wrong way me and Jessica went the other week was completely different than the actual course, even though it was just one street over. How crazy is that!? So what I thought was going to be flat was actually uphill, and that was right at the beginning of the course. It was a challenging course, but I actually did it 10 minutes quicker than 2 weeks ago and walked about 1/2 mile longer! I finished in about 70 minutes -- key word being FINISHED!! I am so excited to know that I actually have this 5k under my belt now. I started to get emotional right before the race began and then again as I approached the finish line. I'll admit that there were times that I thought in my head, "I'm last, what's the point?" or "I can't do this anymore." and "Let's just cut through here; no one will know I didn't complete the whole course." But I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop. I couldn't cut out part of the course. There WAS a point to me doing this race. This was MORE than just a race or another day of walking for me -- this was a public declaration that "Yes, I'm obese, but I'm doing something to change it!"

My real disappointment with today's race was with the race organizers. They did not wait for the last person to finish the race (me). They had already taken down the timing system and started the awards ceremony by the time I got to the finish line. What makes it even worse is that, when I looked at the results online, the last recorded person to finish was only like 5 minutes ahead of me -- 5 minutes!! And I know they knew I was still out there...the cops followed us like the whole way! So, I don't really know what my exact time was and my name won't be in the official results....which is a little disheartening. My timing and this race meant just as much to me, if not more, as the first person to cross the finish line. I just have to remember that "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome." (Booker T. Washington) I had to overcome alot of obstacles to even participate in this race. Even though I finished last, I finished and ultimately that's what matters!

Race Logo

My Race #

the course

shirts they gave us (this is an XL! -- didn't fit, but I got it on ;))

Best Friends! No Excuses! -- before the race
without these 2, there's NO WAY  I could have done this race today!

Leah doing her thing

  

Go Leah! -- she finished in 45min which was her goal.

...here I come...

Let's do this!

Hard Work! Dedication! -- after the race

Thank you to Jessica, Leah, and EVERYONE who has supported me along this journey so far. You will never know how much your encouragement and reinforcement mean to me and my success. I did measure again last night (I do this about every 4-6 weeks) and since September 11th I have lost 24 inches!! :) Please continue to push me as I have a long ways to go still.

...also, thank you to everyone who prayed for today. We kept an eye on the hourly forecast constantly since yesterday and were really worried that it would be storming. God saw fit to hold the rain off until we were done with the race! Thank you, Lord! †