Your Race, Your Pace

#Raceday for the 10 mile Crim race this past Saturday started off a little challenging. It was not my best time, but I did do the best I could with what I had left in me. Let me explain. On Wednesday, I had just got off a red eye flight from a week trip of international travel Wednesday night, Thursday I was playing catch up, Friday I was on the road all day and ended the night with Movies Under Under The Stars in Saginaw and didn’t get home until after midnight.

I had to get up at 6 am on Saturday to move my car out of the neighborhood because the race route goes right through my neighborhood. After I parked, I realized that I didn’t bring everything I needed for the race so I had walk 1.5 miles back to my house to get my stuff.?Next, I got on my bike to do a 2 mile ride to downtown Flint to start my race. I didn’t mention that I have very painful toothache that had been causing me much pain over the last few days. I had to take extra strength Tylenol because any movement made it worse. At this point I was truly tired and in pain. To make things even worse, I missed my heat and the man at the starting line told me I was too far behind. He told me not to start because I would have to catch the sweeper truck that was 15 minutes in front of me to get back in the race. The race staff was starting to open the streets and he suggested that I do the 5k instead.

I had three choices - quit, settle for doing the 5K or run my race as I came to do. Although I had every excuse in not to run, I made a commitment to myself that I was going to do it. So, in pain, feeling tired and behind, I ran. It wasn’t a pretty run that day, but it didn’t matter because I kept my commitment to myself.

This was just a reminder to me that we take life one step at a time and there are always going to be hills and valleys, excuses and reasons. But at the end of the day we need to make sure that we keep our own pace and commitments to ourselves. Pain can be aggravating and unexpected at times but tolerable, tiredness sometimes can be overcome, the inconvenience of life happens and we have to keep fighting through because it’s easy to just give up at times but it truly takes grit to keep our commitments. When I finished the race someone asked me my time and all I could say was is that I finished.?The other cool thing about this was that our daughter got to see me finish the race and started to get sad. When asked why she was sad, she said that she wanted to do her race and cross the finish line. So we took her the Teddy Bear Trot so that she could run her own race.

This is just my story and I’m sure on race day other runners had other obstacles in life that we know nothing about. Someone could be battling health challenges, mental health issues, family or other things. Let this be encouragement that it doesn’t matter what other people say to you or about you, how long takes it takes or when you actually made it. Just go at your pace and finish. It doesn’t have to pretty and perfect, just finish. You will make it because you made a commitment to yourself that no matter how you feel, you will finish. My daughter also reminded me that someone is watching and waiting on us to finish as it a source of inspiration for others. I’m a person of faith and the scripture that comes to mind is Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. #GlennWilson #helpingotherswin #finish #yourraceyourpace #getitdone #commitmentovermotivation