The BIG Project: #1- Run a 5k and raise money for a good cause

When I started to make my list, the first thing that came to my mind was running a 5k and raising money for a good cause. It is something that I knew would challenge me, both physically and mentally where not only was I running a 5k, but I was also setting a monetary goal that I had to reach.
I chose to run the 5k Race for the Cure in Jacksonville this past Saturday. I set a goal of $1,000 and thanks to everyone who sponsored me, we exceeded the goal to $1,065.

The night before the race, I made a tee shirt to wear! Here’s a picture of it:

And the back:

On the back of the tee shirt is Victoria's name, who I was running in celebration of and all of the people who sponsored me. (Thanks again to everyone who helped with this!)

I woke up at 6:30AM and drove to Jacksonville. I got there and was shocked by the number of people. I always knew that Race for the Cure was popular but there were thousands of people there. I was a little lost but asked around to see where I got my race bib and registered.

After I registered, I walked around the check everything out. There were booths everywhere, different groups going around giving things away, sororities volunteering and pink. Pink everywhere. At about 8:30AM we all went up front for an aerobics exercise to get warmed up. I felt incredibly stupid and as I looked around people were laughing, having a great time, happy.

After our aerobics exercise, we headed over to the start line, sang the national anthem and almost exactly at 9AM, we were off.

I am not a very physical person, and finished at a modest 33:29, but this race was so much more than that. I looked around me to see mothers walking with their children, best friends holding hands, a daughter pushing her mother in a wheel chair. It was quite emotional for me, but the reason it was emotional was not because this was sad, but because I was surrounded by strong women, survivors, who fought against such a deadly disease.

These women had been through such a traumatic time, some still going through it, yet they were out here participating in a 5k for a cause that was so near and dear to their hearts. I was taken aback by how much this struck a nerve with me. It was extremely moving.

I had an amazing time at the Race for the Cure. It was very well put together and went smoothly. The only thing I regret doing was going alone. I plan on doing this race again and hopefully some of ya’ll will come with me! This experience has topped my list so far and will be one of the most memorable at the end of this journey.

Here are some more pictures from the day: