Goal Achieved!!!!!!!!

The past couple of weeks I've been training to break a 22:00 min/5k. I've been following a training plan, and trying my hardest to hit every goal on my plans, but it's been tough. I've had my fair shares of horrible runs, cramps, knee pains, IBS flare ups, and self doubt. I've also had some good runs, beautiful weather, and time training with fellow runners. The day before the race I was so incredibly nervous. I wanted to throw up. I didn't think I could do it. I had failed so many of my training runs, and this was going to be another failure.

Going to the race I was listening to some JT. Let me tell you something, his CD is ridiculously good. Just the music I needed! I tried getting my mind right, focusing on the race and doing everything I could not to throw up. Now, some of you might think - why are you getting so jacked up over a race? It's just a race. There's a ton of them. Plus is it really worth all this mess? Honestly, yes. Yes it is. Each run has a purpose; for every good run you felt victorious, and for every bad run, you promised to do better the next day. It's absolutely amazing to train for races. And when you finally achieve your goal, you know it was all worth it. You feel like you're on cloud 9 for the rest of the day and you even think about how much further you can push your limits. I absolutely love it. It's what I live for. 

So I finally get to the race and I meet up with M, my friend who put together my training plan. He told me I was going to rock it and we said a quick prayer before the run. It was finally time to start, and right then and there... It was time to do or die...

We're off and we get bogged down by some of the runners on the turn. I make my way up to the front of the pack and I feel absolutely solid. My adrenaline kicks in and I feel like I can actually pull this off. As I pass more and more runners, I get more and more excited. We pass Covenant house and see all the kids cheering for us, and well I kick it in a little bit more. As we start approaching mile 1, I hit my first mark. Then I get to the halfway mark, and my runner's high is quickly fading and I'm starting to approach the oh shiznit phase. I keep treading along trying my hardest to keep it together while my friend M continues to pace me and encourage me. I lose my headband in the process; life is rough. 

With .5 miles left, I am in utter disarray making the ugliest face known to mankind. I am telling M I can't do it, and I'm not going to make it. M pretty much starts yelling at me (it was encouraging words, but he was evil to me at this point) and I try my hardest to keep up my pace. At one point I'm debating about throwing myself at a car (ok not really, but I have had those thoughts before during a race, plus I needed drama in my story lol). I can see the turn for the finish, and my friend M tells me I can still make it and to kick it in. At this point some random woman starts cheering for me, and that's all I needed to kick it in. I see the clock and I can totally make my goal. I sprint it in and stop right at the first time strip. two seconds later my friend M pulls me across the second strip, which was a good thing since the first one didn't record my time lol. I had freaking made it. I felt like absolute crap, but I couldn't stop smiling and tying my hardest to jump up and down. I can't freaking believe it. All that pain and agony was worth it lol. 

I honestly thought I wasn't going to make it. I almost started believing it, but I had done the work, and put in the time. All I needed was a push, and encouragement. Even though I placed third overall female, and got a plaque, it didn't matter. To me racing isn't about that, it's about pushing myself to a place where I never thought I could go, and then wondering when I'm going to do it again ;)