Let it be known that on the Twenty-ninth day of May, in the year Two thousand and ten, that I, Holli Coats, ran a 5k.
(proud of that numba- and the fetus growing inside of me)
Yes folks, thats right.
It all started when my co-worker and friend Brinn Willis decided to challenge herself to a 5k. She hated running, but she heard the challenge and stepped up to the plate. After a few months of running, she completed her 5k and set a goal to run another.
I wanted in.
You see, I am ever the goal-setter with good intentions, planning to exercise regularly, eat healthier, watch less television, and be an overall better person, but I also am also ever losing motivation or making up excuses. So when I thought about how humiliating it would be to NOT be able to make it on race day, or to waste my $21 by not completing the race, I thought this might be just the motivation I need. Besides, a group was doing it, and we all know peer pressure can work wonders- if they counted on me to be there to run, I'd be there.
And thats how it began. $21, a few emails, and a promise of a free t-shirt (don't remind me!) and I was signed up for a race.
And I stuck to it!
When I found out I was pregnant I wondered if I would still be able to run, but I did my research and concluded that since at that point I was already able to run 3 miles, it wouldn't be a big deal to continue doing that, as long as I took things easy and listened to my body.
That, folks, is how I found myself at 7 1/2 weeks pregnant, awake at 6 am, driving to Roanoke for the big (in my eyes) race.
Long story short, I finished in 33:05 (!) setting a pace of 10:39. I'll take it! The course had more hills than I am used to running, so I was totally stoked with a time like that!
(the stats)
Matt manned the camera and babysat Brinn and FW's ADORABLE son Georgie, as well as played the role of the oh-so-supportive hubby- which he totally is!
(so proud of his baby girl...ahem... and unborn child- for stickin' it out!)
(the group: FW, Brinn, Me, Anika, Kristen, and Bishop Jones)
(Brinn and I at the finish line)
So where do we go from here? Well, I hope to sign up for another 5k, and run (ok, jog...) until I have to walk it. Signing up for something gives me the motivation to keep exercising (even if they do run out of t-shirts), and a healthy mama makes for a healthy baby, right?
