One Month Away from My First 10K
By Karin ComstockWhen I joined the Junior League 4 years ago it was for the chance to volunteer have an impact in the community. Never did I imagine that my Junior League involvement would have me setting a personal goal unlike any other in my entire life thus far. This is no exaggeration. Training for and ultimately running a 10K is a little off the charts for me. Let’s just say certain friends and relatives responded with disbelief at my news.
Last September/October, when faced with the decision of whether or not to be a Running Buddy, I have to admit that I really struggled with the idea. One part of me wanted to do it and another part of me didn’t think it was possible. As with my P2E mentoring experience, I knew this would be a great opportunity for community involvement. And throughout the Fall, I began to see how JLT Kickstart For Health was taking shape. I have to admit I found myself feeling rather inspired by it all. I clearly saw how amazing this would be for adolescent girls; to set a challenging yet achievable goal like a 10K run and experience the success of accomplishing it. It’s this type of experience that cultivates self-esteem, confidence and discipline in a lasting and powerful way.
On the other hand, there was the reality of what it means to be a Running Buddy. Simply put -- it not only means being a Buddy, but being a Buddy who runs. And there was my hesitation. I could hear that voice in my head reminding me I’m just not the sporty, athletic type of person who does things like this. In fact, as a yoga instructor I’m more accustomed to slowing down verses speeding up. I might be known as a ‘flexybendy’, however I tend to huff and puff a bit after climbing a few flights of stairs not too mention riding my bike uphill. Let’s face it, cardio-vascular endurance has never been my strength.
In December, after the internal struggle between wanting to be a part of the 10K run verses spending Wednesday nights for the next four months luxuriating in the comfort of my home, it suddenly became clear. I not only knew this was the beginning of an amazing program we’ll continue to build. It’s an experience that will positively reverberate in the lives of these adolescent girls, possibly for years to come. This was too good to pass up and if I missed out I knew I’d regret it. So, it was then that I said ‘Yes, I’m going to do this!’, both for these girls and yes, lets not forget, myself. And so it began. On January 9th, we met at St. Alban’s and as a group ran outside in the cold, dark winter night... around the block a few times for a duration of 15 minutes. Since then, we have come a long way. Our runs exceed 5K and are in the neighbourhood of 6 or 7K
So far the experience has been many things. I’ve faced the challenge of being out of my comfort zone and taking on a goal that doesn’t come easily or naturally. Almost weekly I’ve had to push past my own resistance and muster up the motivation for the Wednesday night runs when I swear I could hear the sofa calling my name. But I’ve resolved to stick to it. It’s been great having Brionne lead us in our Wednesday runs. We’ve had a lot of fun and good laughs over the last few months with the girls and fellow leaguers. It’s been great that Elena has each week, without fail, dropped off water, fruit, and amazing trail mix for our post-run snacking pleasure.
With race day just 4 weeks away, it’s starting to feel more real and the excitement is starting to build. On May 4th, we start our 10K run at 8am. We’re all setting our own goals for what we want to achieve. For now my aim is to complete in less than 90 minutes, but most all to enjoy the experience all the way to the finish line. Would I be up for the 10K challenge next year? You bet! I will be there in a heartbeat!