Guess who ran a 5k race?

If you have known me since childhood then you know that I hated running. My freshman year of high school for the timed run I walked most of it.

Then something happened, I found the value in running. Armed with the proper shoes and leggings the things that I hated about running before disappeared. There are still things that I wish didn't happen like my right foot occasionally drags, which almost tripped me this morning. But who wouldn't have balance issues with a misshapen foot?

A year ago when I seriously began running I said I would do a 5k and race after race came and went and I never did one. I set this goal to prove to myself that I am strong enough to do the things that scare me. I am not comfortable in large groups of athletic people. Nor am I comfortable attending events alone when everyone else has a friend or partner. However I can do it. I proved that today by standing at the starting line as more and more people filed over, part of me wanted to panic and go to the end. Part of me wanted to cry because I was alone. As I was running I realized I wasn't the only person with out a running partner. Sure the woman in the pink striped top that I followed for a mile, had someone waiting at the finish line but throughout the race there was no one beside her. There was just me a yard behind her, trying to keep up.

As I reflect upon today's race, I realize how very much it is like life. Everyone goes at there own pace. Sometimes they have people who are close to them, who encourage them and work with them through the daily stuff. Sometimes they are alone, but not truly alone. There are people who barely enter our lives but assist us in small but meaningful ways. When I came upon the first water station today I didn't realize how much I truly needed it until the water was unsuccessfully sliding down my throat (I ended up spilling most of the first cup down my front, it's pretty difficult to run and drink at the same time). Or at the end of the race as I ran past a group of teenage girls cheering us on. Those people barely touched my life but they had an impact.

I wonder if we are ever fully aware of who all we are touching with our lives even if it just through the ripples that we cause?