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| Left to right: Me, Aunt #8, Zak, Mary, Abby at the Beaverton Fun Run |
After training off and on for the past year and a half, I completed
my first 5K this past September at the Beaverton Fun Run. This all came about after I made a random
comment to my cousin Mary earlier this year about running a 5k together. I
thought she has forgotten about it. Nope, she remembered and held me to it!
Our Aunt Maria, also known as Aunt #8, who’s a marathon
runner, joined us on the run as Mary’s husband Joe and her two kids Zak and
Abby, and my sister Bonnie cheered us. It was harder than I expected and the
70-degree weather didn’t help.
When I finally crossed the finished line after 40 minutes of
30-second walk-jog intervals, a wave of emotions rushed through me, filling my
eyes with tears. Honestly, I couldn’t tell if I was proud of this achievement
or it was a sense of relief for completing the run.
I started looking at ways to get in shape after my doctor
diagnosis me with an irregular heartbeat about two years ago, where my heart
skips every fourth beat. It made me realize my body is not as young as my mind
believes or what I tell people I am (29!). Yes, I know, aging and death are inevitable, but I want to exit
this world with as little physical suffering as possible. More importantly, I don't want to be a burden to my love ones in my old
age.
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| View of Green Lake from the top of the atrium. |
The realizations motivated me to head over to the local
Green Lake regularly for a walk/jog, take up Zumba again and start the boxing
endurance class at a local gym. I even found a personal trainer, KaisaFit, who
is absolutely awesome and supportive. I was basically training for my life, for a healthier life;
hence the hashtag #trainingforlife that appears in my Instagram posts.
This commitment to my health has given me something to do,
something to push toward in my hum-drum life. Heading outdoors has also allowed
me to see and experience things I would have missed watching TV inside.
Furthermore, I found working out to be a popular conversation topic among family
and friends, whether we're sharing successes, tips or woes, which has helped me strengthen existing relationships and even build new
ones.
Even with all these positives, staying motivated is
challenging. I admit, more days than not, working out feels like a chore than a hobby. I just
have to keep reminding myself, life is journey and I want to finish it strong!
***
Update: I went to the
doctor this past October and it appears my heart is beating normally again!
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