The summer went by very, very quickly. I did the Couch to 5K program again in hopes of improving my running abilities. Running was still hard. There were days that I struggled. I was still towards the back of the pack, but I was no longer the very last person. Doing it with a group of friends was what made it fun, and I was determined to run every step we were to run.
I liked running very much, but I wasn’t in love with it yet. It was still difficult at times. There were times when our group met or when we had a race, that I dreaded it and didn’t want to do it. I always made myself do it because I always felt so much better afterwards. But, before we started, there were often thoughts of dread going through my mind.
I was relieved when August and my birthday rolled around. Knowing that the eights stink, I was very glad to no longer be 48. I was determined that life was going to be better.
August also meant that it was time to start getting serious about school again. God led me to an organizing system for homeschoolers that I was sure was going to be the answer I was looking for. It was a compact, easy way to organize our school and also encouraged Cinderella to do what she could on her own. I was really expecting this system to be a miracle worker for us.
August was also an eventful month in that my oldest daughter and her husband bought a house just down the street from us. Hopefully, this would mean more time with them and our granddaughter. Is there ever enough?
Now that school was in session, my schedule was even tighter. All the errands and chores that I used to do during the day now had to be done in the evening. Our Couch to 5K group was still meeting three nights a week, so most of my grocery shopping and errands were done on my way home from running. There was no such thing as spare time.
When September rolled around, the Couch to 5K program came to an end. The big finale this year was a different race in a nearby city, hence a different route. We made the mistake of not previewing the route before the race, so we did not know what to expect. It was an out and back, so at least we knew what to expect on the way back!
This race was on a Saturday, so I had to get the day off. Cinderella wanted to run in the race so I signed her up for the one mile fun run. This race included a one mile fun run, a 5K, and a 10K. All the races started at the same time, they just had a different turn around point. The only problem with this is that Cinderella didn’t turn around at the one-mile mark. She kept running, and I was afraid she would end up in the next county or something. Thankfully, she stayed with people she knew, and ended up running the 5K. Unfortunately, the one mile fun run was not timed, so she did not have a bib and there was no record of her time. Otherwise, she would’ve gotten a medal simply because she was the only one in her age group.
This was a small race with few people in each age group, so many in our group received medals. After watching my teammates work so hard all summer, it was great to see them receive medals at their very first race. Cinderella was very disappointed that she didn’t get a medal, so my son-in-law gave her his–which she still has to this day.
In the end, I was glad that I did the program again. I tried to be an encouragement to my friends that were new to the program, but they ended up being a great encouragement to me. I always hoped that some lightbulb would come on and I would suddenly realize what I needed to change to become a much faster runner. That never happened and still hasn’t happened. Still, my endurance was way up, and my speed was increasing with each race I ran. I was making progress, and I was content with that.
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