Schaumburg Shuffle Birthday 5K

On one hand, I really wanted to snuggle in bed this morning. All morning. Who wouldn't? The air was crisp and cool, and breakfast in bed would ordinarily have been the order of the day. After all, it's my birthday!

But not this year. No, today I was registered to run a 5K. And run I did.

I don't know quite how it happened. Maybe it was the chilly weather, as opposed to the heat I've been "enjoying" all summer. Maybe it was realizing that it's my birthday and I may as well see what I'm capable. Maybe I was finally able to get out of my head. But the end result was me, running the entire 3.1 miles, for the first time since the run bug caught me.

I'm still in shock. Seriously. I can't believe I did that! I'm still among the slower runners - 42:41 for the race - but that is actually almost two minutes faster than the 5K I ran last weekend. Slow by most people's standards, it was a ground-breaking day for me.

Not gonna lie to ya ... I think part of it was that it happened today. This would have been my 10th wedding anniversary. I started today very mindfully deciding to do something I never would have tried 10 years ago, and I did the best I've ever done. I took on a challenge and pressed on to the end, still feeling strong when I crossed the finish line. It feels good. Hell, it feels amazing.

Yeah, sometimes I'm still bitter over being left. But it's never for long, because eventually, I always find myself back out there, trying something new, becoming Maggie. Life (and my ex) handed me a lot of stuff I wasn't sure I could handle. And I ran right past it all, on my way to today.