Compiling my “30 Before 30” list was a lot more challenging than I had imagined it to be. I created the list to send off my 20s feeling accomplished and give some meaning to the day of the big 3-0. I wanted my 30 things to be of meaning to me, to challenge me and spice up my last year in my 20s. My list began as a list of things I love doing that I never make time for. And that’s when I realized that the list was too easy to achieve.
I really wanted to test myself and set some personal goals that would require some real effort to accomplish. So I thought about things I hate to do and the first thing that came to mind was running. I absolutely loathe it! I find no enjoyment in it whatsoever. I feel like I’m dying when I run (yes, a tad dramatic). Don’t get me wrong, I can power walk in a pair of five-inch platform stilettos like it’s nobody’s business. But running? Ugh! So onto the list it went. “Run a 5k.” And for me, that’s no easy feat.
As much as I hate running I decided to have fun with it. I signed up for “The Color Run 5k” after a recommendation from my friend Allison. Any 5k described as “the happiest 5k on the planet” was worth a shot. And then I decided to ask my sister and two cousins to join me to form a team. I knew I would need a lot of motivation to do this so having them by my side was probably the only way I actually would follow through on it.
The training was horrid. I hated every minute of it. I started running in the spring using the “Couch to 5k” app for iPhone. At the beginning of my training I was fine because I was also using the elliptical and going for daily walks on my lunch break at work. But then I sprained my back in a car accident and sidelined the running for two months. When I started again (I am not proud to say this) I complained… ALOT. Oh boy was I miserable on those few runs I actually did take leading up to the race.
But guess what? I DID IT! We did it, all four of us. Well, 5 of us, because my cousin’s husband ran with us, motivated us, and of course took some lovely pictures of us getting “colored” during the run. Going into the race I did not expect to finish, let alone run the entire thing. But it was so much fun! Yes, those are words even I can’t believe came out of my mouth that day.
It was a great feeling to cross the finish line covered in rainbow colors with my family by my side while my husband and daughter waited for me at the finish line. I really hope that by watching me run, my daughter can learn something about setting personal goals no matter the challenge they present. I am so thankful to my sister and cousins for running with me, and I am so ready for my next 5k with them…just not the training in between!
Pre-race team photo
Post race colors!
Team Amazing Grey's
Time to celebrate
Spreading color
The Color Run = Happy!
The Color Run 5k New Jersey event specifically partnered with a local charity called Back On My Feet - Philadelphia, a national non-profit organization that uses running to help those experiencing homelessness change the way they see themselves so they can make real change that results in employment and independent living.
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