On Sunday October 6th, 2013 I ran in the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure 5k race at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, NJ. This
day was a special day for 2 reasons: first I had always said “the only way you will see me running is if
someone is chasing me” and second reasons was I was not only there to support
the thousands of women I didn’t know who had fought this horrible disease but I
was to there to support one of my best friends and 4 Elements member Cristin.
I am going to give you a little over of my history and then
tell you more about the race just so you understand you can do anything you put
your mind to.
I am a 39 year old woman, a wife and mother of 2. I had
never been an athlete in school, never ran , never played a sports. It was just
not something I ever really wanted to do. I never was overweight but always
curvy. By my mid twenty’s I noticed I was not able to eat anything I wanted so
I started taking step class at the local gym. It didn’t really change anything
but at least I could say I was doing something. A few years later I became
pregnant with my oldest daughter and up until the third trimester had not
gained much weight at all only 15 pounds. So I was up to 135. By the time I
gave birth to her I was 210 pounds (I did have Preeclampsia so the doctor said
I would lose some of the weight after birth) Well he was wrong! 1 month after I
was still 205 pounds, I really didn’t care at that point I had a beautiful,
healthy baby and I was enjoying our time together. (I also nursed and was told
I would definitely lose weight, not) When my oldest was a year and a 1/2 I
dropped a ton of weight fast and was back down to 120” WOW this is great I
didn’t even do anything and the weight just came off” I remember saying. 2
weeks later I found out I was pregnant with baby number 2. So as the months went on it was a repeat of
the first minus the preeclampsia. I was
back in the same boat after my youngest turned 2 I decided I needed to do something
and having another child was not an option.
I started with a change in the food I was eating and how
often I was eating. Then I started to workout at a gym. This time I started to
lift weights and within 4 months I dropped 50 pounds. 2 years went by and I had
kept the weight off and decided to change my career. I wanted to help people
change their lifestyle and so I became a personal trainer.
Fast forward to now I started my own business to help people
on a more personal level. For me working in a big gym wasn’t the answer, it was
all about the money. I work out almost
every day of the week but still never ran! In September I formed a team for the
Breast Cancer 5k/walk. We had a small team of 5 and 4 of them were running so I
guess I would be running too? One of the other ladies had never ran a 5k but at
least she started running 1 or 2 todays a week to train for it. Of course I
recommend you train for any kind of run but I did not take my own advice. I found myself the day before looking for
excuses. Nothing I came up was good enough so I just put it out of my mind. As
I lay in bed that night I thought to myself one last time, I could tell them I
got sick in the middle of the night. Then I thought I can’t believe what I hear
myself saying! If not for me then I need to do this for my friend. It was only
a 5K how bad could it be?
I woke up at 6am my stomach full of butterflies, got
dressed, and started to pace. I was thinking to myself “am I really going to do
this? I am 39 and never ran a day in my life I must be crazy”. My husband
kissed me goodbye and said “ you can do this why are you so nervous”. He was
right! (Don’t tell him I said that.) 7am we met I am still nervous and now
realized I didn’t eat or drink a thing, this could be bad. My stomach was still
in nuts as the ladies, my clients, my friends assured me I would be find. As we
started I still was trying to talk myself into and then realized I was running.
I was not running fast but I was doing it. After the first mile I did walk for
a little bit then again after the 2 mile mark. I ran to the finish line hand
and hand with my support through the whole race, Blanca, and finished in 49 minutes. Not
bad for the first time! After that we met up with the other ladies to watch
Cristin walk in the “Survivor Parade” I do have to mention that I could not
stop moving because my legs felt like jello and I thought I was going to fall
over. As we watch the parade I realized how luckily we were to be able to run
the race. I did it and I was inspired by my friend and survivor who runs
because she is able to. She is one of the luckily the ones who has turned her
life upside to focus on the positive and not let anything stop her. So how
could I not run for her?
It was an amazing experience and I will do it again and I will
train this time. Next up the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and then a Muddrella
in May. I am sure we will do more between the two but for right now this a good
goal to have.
If you put your mind to it you can do anything and I am
living proof of that! Once you commit yourself to something and surround
yourself with people how will support you and even do it with you we be
successful, in everything you do.