Over the summer I signed up to participate in the SJ RocknRoll Mini Marathon, which is a 5-mile course designed for people who weren’t quite ready for a 1/2 marathon, but still wanted to get out, have fun, and support a great cause. I’d anticipated this race for a long time, and finally, today was the day!
I woke up at 5am in order to get ready and be down at the course in plenty of time for the 8am start. My friend and co-worker JH came to my house at 6:30, we headed to Starbucks, and arrived at the designated parking lot in plenty of time to get to down to our corral.
Here we are before the race.
The course itself was nice and easy – flat, quick, and fun. Throughout the way, bands were set up to play fun music and motivate us to keep going. JH and I were among very few walkers in our corral. We’d definitely misjudged how quickly we’d be able to complete the race, but we just stayed to the side, to let all the runners pass us.
We got into a really good pace, and I was having such a good time. The weather was gorgeous, and there was so much community support. All along the raceway, people were outside their houses with signs, some playing music of their own, and just cheering us on. It felt great to be part of this whole experience.
The miles passed by quickly, and before we knew it, we were almost at the end. We’d spent the morning chatting, walking, and just enjoying the day. When we walked through the finish line, I felt a huge surge of energy. I’d had so much fun, and was feeling great. Yes, my upper thighs were telling me I’d walked a lot, and I felt a blister forming on the bottom of my foot, but I felt fantastic! I’d done it!!
All smiles after we’d finished the mini
I can’t tell you the pride I felt as I walked the 5 miles, contrasting the memories of walking in past. Gone was the numbness in my feet. Gone were the shin splits. Gone was the fat girl who was crying because her body wasn’t doing what she knew was in her heart.
Today I walked fast, strong, and knew that I was going to finish all 5 miles. I felt so accomplished, so proud, so full of life. I have transformed, body, mind, and soul.
Bella on the Beach 