i'm an athlete

I RAN A 5K!!! Can you believe it??

 

 the whole crew runnin for romania!

 gah. we got photo bombed

 free swag!!

 CELEBRATION AT MCDONALDS!!!

neither did anyone else. that's why we took so many pictures. 

this whole thing was no bigs for alex, who has run like a billion 5ks/miles in his life. but for me and young bryniffer, this was big shiz. truthfully i've wanted to do something like this for a really long time. i've always wanted to do the komen walk for the cure but i've always thought i probably couldn't. and i was afraid of people's reactions when i told them i wanted to do it. so i haven't. fear keeping me from doing yet another thing!

but this was just the perfect opportunity! i've been running on the treadmill for the past few months at the gym so i felt reasonably trained, and now just seemed like the time when i heard about the run for romania. so i called my brother and told him about it, to which he laughed and said, "you don't run!" and i told him i ran at the gym! and then he started to take me seriously, thought it was great, and said he'd run with me. a supporter! i was really scared to even tell him about it, partly because of his reaction and partly because i figured once he knew i was interested that i would definitely have to run. and that's exactly what happened. for which i was grateful for, but also scared. 

and then i recruited bryn! who at first told me that she definitely did not run. but i don't know, then she changed her mind! and she agreed to run with us!!! even though she was terrified. even though she was really scared. and she cramped up and my asthma made me think i was going to die, BUT WE DID IT!!! AGAINST ALL ODDS!!! and i'm so proud of us.

and everyone was shocked. rightly so, since i'm notorious for hating all physical activity/movement. but i dunno. i guess i'm changing. my sister was like you? you ran a 5k? everyone gave me some sort of variation of "i'm so surprised! good for you!" 

this is what i'm trying to get at!

my whole life i've limited myself, and i've allowed other people to limit me. even though i've wanted to do a 5k for years i've been afraid that people would laugh and think i couldn't do it. and maybe i couldn't. i've been afraid of people telling me how i don't run. and then i'm just like yeah, you're right, i don't run. and then i just keep not running. people don't invite me to do anything athletic because they just think, oh laura hates that. well i do whatever i want these days! i hike! i play soccer! and i even run! and anything else that comes to mind. i want to be better. i want to do more. i have to believe in myself more.

 

eggsactly

it's easter!! and i had a great day. pictures will follow! and won't that be a fun day?


i want to take a sec to quote a few peeps


c.s. lewis
i believe in christianity as i believe that the sun has risen. not only because i see it, but because by it i see everything else. 


christ is real. our heavenly father is real. the atonement is real- it redeems us from our sins and heals us from our griefs. i know it because i've felt it. there is an infinite amount of love available to all of us. i wish this could sound as true as it is. everything good in my life comes from these truths. 


oscar hammerstein
Why do I believe I am happy? Death has deprived me of many whom I loved. Dismal failure has followed many of my most earnest efforts. People have disappointed me. I have disappointed them. I have disappointed myself. From all this evidence, could I not build up a strong case to prove why I am not happy at all? I could, but it would be a false picture, as false as if I were to describe a tree only as it looks in winter. I would be leaving out a list of people I love, who have not died. I would be leaving out an acknowledgement of the many successes that have sprouted among my many failures. I would be leaving out the blessing of good health, the joy of walking in the sunshine. I don’t believe anyone can enjoy living in this world unless he can accept its imperfection. He must know and admit that he is imperfect, that all other mortals are imperfect, that it is childish to allow these imperfections to destroy all his hope and all his desire to live.

i love that. to only focus on the disappointments and failures of my life would be to ignore all the joy, success, and blessings i have experienced. there is so much good in the world, and so much good in my life. i have faith in all the best things in this world. because i have to.

next time:

that one time i ran a 5k. 

you heard me!!!!