Color Me Rad

I started this journey in February of 2013.  I desperately needed to throw my life into something different.  I was suffocating in my grief of losing my father, and I was losing my mind.  You may remember a friend of mine posted on Facebook about joining her team for Color Me Rad, and that is when things clicked.  I was going to start running.  This was the 5K I was going to run.  That fateful day I joined her team started me on my journey of becoming a runner.  I have had many starts and stops, but overall, progress has been made, and I am still moving forward. 

How did it feel running my first 5K?  Well, I don't know yet.  I did something even better at this 5K.  I walked with friends.  Our before picture:

I even had the privilege of having my favorite three year old in the entire world walk with me in a very special way:

 

 

Yes, that is right.  My beautiful Little Girl rode on my shoulders for part of the 5K, and I had a blast doing it.  I kept thinking how I have lost more weight than Little Girl weighs.  Having her on my shoulders was not easy, but it was a great reminder of how I had been carrying extra weight, but that it is no longer on me. 

 

It took me back to when I started this journey.  I declared then that there was no deadline.  I even named my blog Not a Deadline to remind myself that there is no deadline.  It is a continuous journey.  During my journey I have had setbacks.  I have had roadblocks.  I even flat out took breaks for extended periods.  I have not, nor will I, quit.  Period.  

I don't have a great picture of my after, but here is the selfie I took after completing.  This seems like it will be a tradition for me at races. 

What is up next?  Electric Run on October 5th and our Run for God group 5K on October 12th.  November will start my training for the Mini-Marathon!