The AJC Peachtree Road Race was one epic event of my life! It's the biggest race in town with around 50,000 runners/walkers. I've never seen that much of a crowd overflowing with adrenaline rush ever in one event. I'm not really a runner, trust me. I had asthma when I was young, so I find it hard to do long runs before. So how was I able to conquer 10 kilometers/6.2 miles if that's the case? Well, my enthusiasm for running started just last year. One day, it was around June, I just woke up one day and decided that I wanted to cut some weight off before my wedding. All I really wanted was to look good and fit in my white dress. That was my main motivation that got me into working out and eating right. At first, I tried running in the treadmill for 30 minutes every other day or 3-4 times a week. I also tried this diet that I learned from my cousin called, Banana Diet. The only thing I ate for breakfast was one piece of banana. And since I was already running, when I was invited to join a 5K race, I immediately became open with the idea. I finished my first 5K race in 30 minutes. It was fun and I was excited for my first legit race shirt! Hehe. Even after the wedding, I kept running as my work out. But I knew that I needed to have some kind of motivation again at least to keep me going. Then one day, I learned about the Peachtree Road Race and immediately signed up for it. It's twice the length as the first one that I had so I was kind of nervous about it. This time I stepped out of the treadmill and tried the outdoors. If you know me, you'll know outdoors is such a big deal for me as I'm not a fan of the sun. Hahaha. If not around the neighborhood, I ran along a trail in a park nearby.
On the race day, when I saw a sea of eager people on the road, I felt a different kind of excitement. I presume it must have been the adrenaline rush. I couldn't believe myself that I had run the entire time. I would only stop at water stations to hydrate and breathe for a few seconds then go back on the track. I started to run slow on the first half of the race, then sped up on the last half. And that's how I had surprisingly made it. I could say the people on the side cheering for us helped in boosting my energy. It was really exhausting and hot but there were water showers on the side and I would pass by them so I could feel refreshed. Also, on the sides were booths that offered free food and other fun stuff. They were really tempting because who could ignore freebies?? Hahaha. However, I told myself not to get side-tracked by them because I know every second counts (sineryoso talaga). So I finished the race and my time was 1 hour and 8 minutes. (:
Running became part of my lifestyle at this moment. The scriptures tell that in, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Correspondingly, we should take good care of what God has given to us. One of the important things of working out and eating right is that it teaches us self-discipline. And having self-discipline or self-control is a good virtue. Like the tempting freebies on the side of the race, if I had gone there and had grabbed free food, it would have had an effect on my running. It might have made my tummy sick and I wouldn't have been able to enjoy the race. In life, we get side-tracked by so many temptations. But having strong self-control and being focused on our goals would help us in achieving them. What I thought of running for the purpose of losing weight (superficial) had totally changed. Now I just want to be healthy and take good care of God's gift of life. But it is as important to keep our hearts clean and healthy too! (:
I wish I could do the race next year with my hubby! By the way, he is also diligently working out and eating healthy. Keep it up love!
xoxo,
Joselle
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