My first 5k for Youth Villages.

Hello! Welcome to my blog! My name is Leah (aka Mrs. Confident from Confident Until Completion), and I actually wrote this post this weekend after participating in my first 5k. I'm hoping to jump in the comment challenge with Jenna's Journey. 

I live in Tennessee with my husband Mr. C and our 18 month old son, Micah. You can read more about us here.  You might also enjoy the day we welcomed our son into our family.

I'm a second grade public school teacher, and I love it! I can't wait to get to know you this week. Feel free to enjoy the rest of this blog post on my journey into first time running in my thirties! =)

Today I ran my first 5k benefiting Youth Villages.

Youth Villages is an organization that does many things in our city ranging from foster care to providing at risk students with "home" care in their dorm facilities in Memphis, Tennessee. If you know anything about Memphis, then you know there is a major crime problem in this city. Our city is hurting from many things including a huge culture stricken with poverty, so it is always great to help out wonderful organizations like Youth Villages.

This past week, I have trained like a mad woman hoping to make it up to 3.1 miles by today. I literally ran every day last week alone, with friends, and taking super long walks with my husband & baby.

Something clicked this week. It's only taken about eight weeks of training plus another couple of months of working out. So yes, four to five months later, and now things are clicking! There's a testimony to keep at whatever you are doing because it truly takes time.

On Monday, we did a "trial run" with our group, and I made it right at 40 minutes. I was shocked and super happy. (I realize I am very, very slow.) I had a personal goal of just running a 5k in under forty five minutes.

Here's our running group before the race started:

Top Row: Laura, Juli, Amy Z. (I think), Heather, Amy, Faith, Larisa

Bottom Row: Kristen, Melissa, me, Katina, Jill, and Jessica

Funny story, but my childhood friend (Melissa next to me) was in the training group, too! Her mom taught me in GA's growing up at Germantown Baptist. Who knew? We never ran into each other for training, so it was funny to see her & her sister & her mom today.

Small version from the side:

 Bigger picture of the girls:

Top: Laura, Juli, Amy Z, Heather, Amy S, Faith, Larisa

Bottom: Kristen, Melissa, me, Katina, Jill, and Jessica

We had super cute shirts made, and this is what they said:

(I did not wear mine for a couple of reasons. It seemed to chafe me as I ran, and I like running in a tank top because it is so hot. I was going to wear it though (in spirit) only to spill something all over it this morning!)

The rest of these pictures were taken by my sister. Thanks, Kerr! Mr. C was working today (boo for odd hours, but whatcha gonna do?) so he didn't make it.

All the runners coming down Davies Plantation. (Remember the huge old home garden tour we went to a few weeks ago? This 5k ran through that area of town.)

Waiting in line for the race:
Faith, Heather, Katina, me, Laura, Amy, and Jessica

About to get ready when they say, "Go!"

There I am at the start of the race with my friend Katina. My sister tried to call me before (or about when the race was starting), and she was trying to get me to look at her for this shot. Oops. (I couldn't figure out how to answer my phone hooked up to my armband thing.)

Mile marker showing I was almost to the 3.1!

Flags waving outside the church where the start and finish line were located.

While Mommy was working up a sweat, Micah was beating the heat under the shade trees sucking his fingers.

My friend Amy lives in the neighborhood, and we raced by her house. She had the sprinklers going for us at mile 2, and she made us this fun sign! =) How cute is that?

Ebin & Micah had a picnic with KayKay to keep them occupied. Micah had his usual breakfast of Cheerios on his stroller tray. (This seems to be a trend these days.)

Coming into the finish line!! Whoo-hoo!! Go me!

Amy got this picture of me coming on into the finish line. I have got an oh.so.lovely.face in this one. Haha!

After the race we took a pic with my bib number.

My sister, me, my mom, and the boys all there to cheer me on!

Exhausted and hydrating! I came in with a time of 38:45.  (I think. I will be checking that score tomorrow on the website because my app says I did it in 35:46!!) I kept an average pace of 11:38 with my fasted 1K being 6:39 (all according to my app). I was training all this time for a 12 minute or below mile. I've mostly ran it in 13 minutes or 12:36, so this was my absolute best time so far!!!

I have to say, that I loved the feeling of running today in a race. I loved the cheers. I loved the challenge. I loved watching myself go farther than I've ever gone before.

Sad to say, but now I understand all those Scripture verses about running the race! I could go on and on about my spiritual endurance lessons in another blog post, but I won't bother you with that ramble today. Instead, I'll leave you with Hebrews 12: 1 which states:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

Special thanks to my mom for coming to watch Micah so I could run unhindered! I appreciate you, Mama! Thanks, Keren and Amy, for taking pictures! (Some of which I stole straight from Facebook!)