Running the Good Race

I'm not really sure what I was thinking when I thought it would fun to run in the annual ATS 5K fun run. While it felt somewhat healthy to be waking up at dawn on a Saturday morning in order to warm up enough for a 8:30 race time, I would have rather been in bed. They suckered me in by saying it was for a good cause. Health and Wellness sponsored the event along with Mercy and Justice, so the entry fee went toward helping hungry people in Wilmore. They also collected food and toilet paper at the race to be donated to the Wilmore Community Center. And while I was doubting myself and my decision to run in the race while I was huffing and puffing up the hilly streets of Wilmore, I found myself blessed by being a part of a community coming together for such a good cause. Plenty of people will now have food on their tables now that we all came out and stretched ourselves a little bit.

It was also kind of fun to cross the finish line with people cheering and clapping. That was the best part of the race! There were also encouragers all along the way. People sitting on their porches shouting encouragement as we ran past. It motivated me to hear people yelling, "Go Jackie, you're doing great!" as I was feeling too tired to keep going. And I lived to tell the story...even though I am still coughing like a person with emphazema.