This past September I ran my first 5k race ever. For most people who run, a 5k is like a fun run. Most people who believe they are in shape say they might need to go for a run or two before the race day.

That was not me.

I have always made it a goal of mine to run a 5k race and be able to say that I can run and finish a race. It isn’t a weight loss goal or motivation to get in shape. I like feeling the sense of accomplishment and gaining more and more confidence with every step further I run. I began training on a humid Sunday morning and could barely run a mile without stopping to walk. I told myself that I would run every other day until I could run the distance of a 5k.

After 12 weeks of training in the summer heat, running after working all day, getting up early and some days forcing myself to go out for 15 minutes and run to avoid feeling guilty, the day of the local 5k in my community came. I was terrified of all the things that could go wrong and the fact that it was the hottest weekend in September on record did not help.

A few years prior I had also signed up to run a 5k race but decided at the last minute that I couldn’t do it. I told myself that I did not work this hard and set this goal to not do it again. I am SO thankful I didn’t quit this time, because not only did I run and finish the race, I ran my fastest time ever.

The feeling of accomplishment did not set in for a few days, but looking back, I am very proud of the fact that I accomplished this goal. I feel like the goals I always set for myself are not always just for me or don’t necessarily show their benefits until later. This goal was just for me and I got to see my results right away.

To anyone who has a goal that they always want to be able to say they accomplished or want to try something they never thought they could do, my advice is to do it at your pace. People will try to doubt you or hold you back, but they are not you and those people only do that because they have a goal that they have yet to accomplish too. It is hard sitting out and watching other people succeed and get ahead, but are they really ahead of you or is their pace just different than yours. At least give it a try and I’m sure you will be thankful you did.