[ksurp]

Shamrock Shuffle 5K - Lebanon, NH<br>
time: 51<img alt="confused.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/confused.gif">??<br><br>
Six weeks ago I encouraged a colleague to try a 5k and today we did the race!<br>
My colleague, Kate, is our school nurse and is in charge of our winter wellness program. Six weeks ago we were doing a stability ball workout after school and she mentioned that she wanted to start running and do a 5k. The next day I brought her in my Galloway book on running and she really liked his run/walk approach. I also told her that there was a local race on March 15th and gave her the website for sign up. I warned her that once she crossed the finish line she would be hooked.<br>
She signed up, got 4 other colleagues to sign up and today we all ran. She was so nervous and excited especially about finishing. There are so many different perspectives about finishing different distances! To her, 3.1 miles was a marathon. I ran/walked with her the entire distance and I found it very motivating. It was a little strange to have the volunteer "van" following us as the "last" racers. People cheered us on and I said thanks to all. While I didn't break a sweat, she worked hard and completed it totally breaking the boundaries of her comfort zone. It really made me appreciate what it takes for someone to take a big risk and try something new. She was quite worried that the other runners were going to question what she was doing there. This brought me back to my first 5k where I wondered the exact same thing. It makes me appreciate how far I've come in the past 3 years and inspires me to keep working hard. What a great experience.

 

[ksurp]

Oops - don't know why there is a frown face next to the time. There shouldn't be.

 

[pcsronbo]

That's cool. Awesome that you ran with her. The folks at the EOP really need that encouragement. Look, she wasn't DFL, make sure and point that out! Imagine what the NEXT race will be <img alt="wink.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/wink.gif">

 

[4boysmom]

Congrats to Kate!!!<br><br>
My grandma "raced" 10K's into her mid 70's. She said she always finished either DFL or next to DFL. We were just talking about it a couple weeks ago. Here, 20yrs later, you can still see the pride in her eyes at finishing the races--DFL or not! SHE got out there and tried and "won" every time.

 

[mmoonptdeux]

These are the kind of RR's I truly appreciate. Your friend is to be commended for pushing beyond what she thought was possible and good on you for being there with her.

 

[Yo Sake]

Huge congratulations to your friend, Kate!! She should be very proud of what she has accomplished. You should be proud too, ksurp, for making a difference in her life. What a fablous day.

 

[hobey]

Awesome RR Kristen and a huge congrats to Kate. We've hooked another one. <img alt="biggrin.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">

 

[jroden]

That's kind of you to go out and do that, I bet it will be all paid back by her excitment about the sport, good on you for doing it.

 

[Thor]

Very inspiring. Truly. Know why I can say that? I can say that because of all the people in that race, do you want to know who won the most? You already know. Kate won. But you know who also won? You did. You really did. Think about it for a second. And a second more. Yes, you won.

 

[willrun4chocolate]

Awww that is sweet!

 

[SpartyGirl]

Good Karma. Great way to spend a day!

 

[CCRaces]

That is great! I started doing some volunteer work with Girls On The Run last year, they start up again in a couple of weeks. I love watching, and sometimes running or walking alongside those girls as they complete their first 5k.<br><br>
Congrats to your friend, and to you

 

[juliemboyle]

That is so awesome! I'm sure it was so rewarding to see her so happy pushing herself and you have hooked another one. You've made a postive healthy difference in her life.<br><br>
I just got 3 co-workers to agree to sign up for Danskin in July.....I love encouraging people to try racing, I love it so much, I just want others to enjoy it too!

 

[Silly Sally]

Congrats Kate on helping your friend break past her comfort zone. That is a huge achievement for her ...<br><br>
I'm going to be training a friend's mother to do a 5k this fall using the C25K program. We're going to start with just walking until the snow melts more. She had been given 6 months to live a few years back (non-Hodgkin's lymphoma) but she found inspiring ways to beat her cancer. Her diaphragm, but no longer her lung, is still paralysed because of nerve damage from her tumour ... but she's alive and in remission and she dreams of doing a marathon one day ... I can't wait until I take her across that 5k finish line.<br><br>
Sally

 

[COcarrie]

That was so awesome of you to share the race with her, all the way to the finish! I love hearing about the inspiration we can be to others and I'm proud of you for giving her the encouragement she needed to get through that race and feel the sense of accomplishment she surely felt. HOORAY for Kate! (and you too!)

 

[Dougie Fresh]

Awesome. Think about how much you've done for this person and then every person she inspires in turn. It's amazing with running and triathlon how you can affect people in such a positive way and how that can continue to spread. That's the real solution to our health crisis, IMO. So, I guess that makes you a Patriot too. Must be a NH thing <img alt="smile.gif" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/smile.gif">.