Are you ever surprised by the things you discover about yourself? I am. Throughout college people have frequently interpreted my commitment to thorough excellence as a competitive nature. Although I wasn't sure whether or not there was truth to that particular assumption, I never tried to confirm or deny it. This morning I ran my very first race. It was a 10K (6.2 miles) which served as a "test" for my race day pace for the half-marathon I am running. The race went well, but here's what I learned: I'm not competitive enough to care about racing! I ran with my good friend Pushpa and my new friend Amanda, both of whom were really jazzed about pushing themselves to run faster than normal and pass as many people as possible along the way. I run because I care about my health, because I love exploring new things, because I like having an active and uninterrupted platform to connect with the Lord and because running has allowed me to move closer to other people. I don't run to race. Even though the goal of completing a half-marathon kick-started my journey to become a runner, I never signed up for the race with the intention of racing.
People have asked me if I will continue running after the half-marathon is over. After today, I am 100% sure that I run for reasons other than competition and therefore will continue to use this sport as a way to better my health, connect with the Lord and move towards others.
Here are some pictures from this morning!
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| Me and my friend Pushpa on our way to the race! |
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| Hot, sweaty, tired & DONE with 6.2 miles! It was really humid! |
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