Second Annual Shake Family 5K

Last year my mom's family started a tradition at our New Year's gathering.  We had a 5K and enjoyed ourselves so much we decided to continue the tradition.  What a great way to celebrate the new year and focus on being more active - walking 3.1 miles!  This year we became even more official by having t-shirts made.  My Uncle Steve designed the t-shirts, and I loved them!  Here is a picture of some of the participants in their t-shirts:

Aren't we adorable?

This year was a lot colder than last year was.  I wore fleece lined leggings, sweatpants, a long sleeved t-shirt, my official 5K t-shirt, and a sweatshirt over that (sweatshirt is missing in photo so we match).  I wore a hat and gloves, too.  It was cold when we started out, but as we got going I started warming up and was a lot more comfortable.  Layers are a great way to avoid wearing a coat!

Our 5K route took us from the house to the park in Washington.  From there we walked around the lake and then out of the park back to the house.  It was a very scenic route, and we had a lot of fun.  I really enjoyed spending time with my cousins and catching up on what is going on with them.

****I am getting ready to talk about something that involves swearing and hurt feelings.  Reader discretion is advised.****  As wonderful as it was spending time with my family and starting the year by being active and completing a 5K together, I have to share something that happened to me during our walk.  We were walking together generally, but my cousin and I had fallen behind the others.  As we were walking around the lake, there were a couple of guys that I did not notice at the time.  We passed by the truck they were in, and I was listening to my cousin tell me about her friends.  All of a sudden, I hear a guy yell out, "Baby, your a** is so fat!"  I was in shock.  My cousin and I kept walking, but I was dying on the inside.  I felt embarrassed and humiliated, and I HATED that my sweet eighth grade cousin had to be put in that situation.  I had to choke back the tears because I didn't want her to see me upset.  I have been out running and walking in many different places all around the United States, and this is the first time that someone has said something derogatory towards me.  I did the only thing I could think of to do, I just kept my head up high and ignored them.  Fortunately, they did not say anything else to us, and my cousin and I continued on our way.

I know that everything in my journey is not going to go smoothly.  The important thing is that I don't give up.  I have to continue to put things in action.