That’s A First: Running My First 5k As A Family

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As most of you know, I do suffer from fibromyalgia and I am on medication for the constant pain that I am in.  If you want to know more about my story with fibromyalgia, then read more here.  Well, I have been feeling so much better since then and since I am better, my little family did a first this past weekend which was doing a 5k!  Most of our friends and some of our family members run marathons, so I was always interested in doing one, but we both (my husband and me) never had to courage to sign up for one.  We even couldn’t get off of our behinds to get started to train for one.  We were the ones that wanted to stay inside and watch movies, play games, and go see a movie or go to a comic book shop.

Yeah…I have always had the passion for fitness and being active from my years of almost running in track, but also me being a ballerina for many years.  Dancing and fitness are still my passion, but as with any mom and wife, I always make excuses or it seems that I never have the time to work out.  But this time, my husband’s job was holding a 5k at their job site, so since we were beginning our lifestyle change and working out, I thought it would be a good time to sign up for one.  Though, of course, we talked to our wellness coach to even see if it would be a possibility since I do have fibromyalgia and she said, “Yes, of course you can do it!”  That was our inspiration and we signed up.  I will tell you that we already decided at this point that we were going to walk the whole 3 miles because we can’t run a long period of time (yet).

For the upcoming weeks leading to the day, we walked for about 30 minutes and our daughter was right along side of us cheering us on.  She is the number one inspiration for my husband and me to get fit, be our best selves, and to show her that you can do everything that you want to do and still be healthy.  So, we trained a little bit and we made sure to ask our friends and family on tips for bringing a child to a 5k, since we signed up as a family.  We made sure that we kept up with all of our exercises, our walking, meal plan/portion control, etc.  Then, came the night before the race…..

We were both so nervous because first of all, this is our first 5k ever, so we had no clue on what to expect and second of all, it was supposed to rain, so we were worried if it would get cancelled, what to do with our stroller, etc.  But, we still managed to get everything prepared such as getting our ponchos (Disney ponchos because duh…we need to look awesome and Disney is awesome haha), snacks, water, activities for our daughter (if she wanted to stay in the stroller), etc.

Finally, the day came and we were on our way to the race and I was feeling queasy.  I was a nervous wreck, but once we got the venue and started to look around, I became much calmer.  I saw everyone there having fun, getting stretched out, and I saw other parents there with their children and they were having a ball.  So, after talking to a few vendors, getting a balloon animal/tattoo, and getting a little morning warm-up workout, we were lining up.  We went to very back since we had the stroller and, “BAM!!”  There went the bell for the race to start….

We walked and walked and it was actually pretty fun!  I couldn’t believe that we were there and actually doing it, but everyone there was so encouraging including the volunteers.  It really felt like we were all in this together and nobody was getting left behind.  What amazed me more was that our daughter was walking with us for most of the 3 miles.  She was used to walking just 3o minutes and only 1 mile, but she was a trooper and wanted to be like her parents.  The fact that my daughter was showing me that she was doing this as well (at only 3 years old), it inspired me so much, so I kept pushing to the point where I was feeling good and getting the runner’s high.

It was amazing and I felt like I was the Mother of Dragons, just waiting for my dragons to arrive.  I felt so good towards the end of it that I jogged from the point where I could see the finish line to the finish line, which was about maybe a few minutes away.  Finally, I crossed that finish line and got to watch my husband and daughter cross it as well.  It was funny though because when I crossed and looked back, I saw my husband trying to get our daughter back up, which scared me at first, but comes to find out that she just plopped on the grass area (since she was trying to keep up with me jogging).  But, he got her up and they both finished.   I never felt so much pride and joy!  All three of us felt so accomplished and so revitalized like Midoriya from My Hero Academia when he gets done with a hero test!  I felt like I could do anything I set my mind to!

After that, I found out that I won a raffle prize, which was a cooling towel that really came in handy.  Then, it was time to get another balloon animal, eat our snacks, and head home.  Once we got home, I really started to feel it.  My fibromyalgia kicked up and my body was hurting, all of our bodies were.  That day and the next, we just rested.  I have been out of the ringer cleaning and cooking wise because I have been in pain, but I wouldn’t have traded that experience for anything.  It was so great to get out there and do something that we were both interested in and we actually accomplished it.  I highly recommend to do a 5k!  You don’t have to be fit or you don’t have to be a runner.  Find one that isn’t officially timed and get out there and do it!  If I can do it, then anybody can do it!

Doing 5k’s really brought out that you are never alone and people just like you, who are shy, a nerd, a parent, has anxiety, or basically anyone can do it, even if you just walk it.  It was a truly an incredible experience and we are even thinking about doing another one now!  My point from this story is that you can do anything that you set your mind to!  It may be hard, there may be some bumps in the road (I have been there), but it will all be worth it once you cross that finish line and accomplish your goals or your dreams!  We are all in this together, so we should all support one another and be kind!

I really hope you enjoyed reading and I hope that you find your goal to accomplish.  As always, please follow, like, share, subscribe, or simply comment and tell me what you accomplished recently.  I hope you all have a great weekend and I will see you in the next post!