Do you ever have one of those things that you say you want to do or wish you could do or wish you could say you did? But, you don’t know how to get started or you get started and quit or you just talk, talk, talk about it? Well for me, running in a “race” is one of those things. (Jogging slowly is really a more appropriate description for me!)

A number of months ago Jeanie and Merrile, that write for www.southernbeautymagazine.com, told me about the Couch to 5K program. I found a class in our county’s Parks and Recreation catalog and began to read up on it. The good thing about this program is it starts out very easy with running one minute and then walking one minute, running two minutes then walking two minutes, etc. The class meets formally twice a week and then you run once a week on your own. After eight weeks you are ready for your 5K.

That sounds really easy, right? It’s not! I found that there were days that I just didn’t feel like running or my thighs hurt or my breath was very labored after only the first ten minutes. But, having others that I felt accountable to really helped me to keep going. Also, as I pushed through my difficulties, I gained a sense of pride that I didn’t quit. (I am not always known for “pushing through the hard stuff”.)

Yesterday as I got ready to run the race I smiled to myself that I was going to do something that I had wanted to do for years but had only wished and talked about doing. When I came across the finish line in 36 minutes, 6 seconds I was proud that I had finished and that I had run my fastest time. It didn’t really matter that 98 other folks finished in front of me. There were still a bunch behind me and at least I was still standing and not crawling across the I finish line!

It was good for me to have a goal and stick with it! Now maybe that whole idea of creating World Peace doesn’t seem so farfetched!