Goals!

I am a very goal oriented person. I need goals to keep me focused and moving forward. So last year just after my 39th birthday I started feeling down about 40 closing in fast. I started to feel "old" and I came to the conclusion that I needed a goal to shoot for before my 40th birthday.
I decided to take on running. I have been pretty fit most of my adult life, but running has always been something that I would liken to being about as pleasant as pulling out my toenails with tweezers. Add my asthma into the mix and running just sounded like a hoot.....NOT!
So I set the goal of running a 5k before my 40th birthday. I dowloaded Couch to 5k on my ipod and got started. I had several setbacks along the way with summer asthma issues and then cold/flu season, but I signed up for the Thanksgiving day local 5k and I finished with a decent time of 34 minutes, but then I was left with still having several months ahead until my birthday and now I had completed my goal. So in my head (because I could not verbalize and therefore commit to the goal) I decided to keep pushing and shoot for being able to run 10k.
Well, I kept pushing and had been up to 5-6 mile runs each week. Then my trainer talked me into going out with her running group today since they were doing a 10k run. I was worried that I would not keep up or even worse, I would hold them back. So I showed up this morning feeling apprenhensive and wondering if I would make it. I met them at the designated spot and the group of 7 runners were ALL wearing their LA marathon hats. WTF? Summer, my trainer, had not mentioned these were all her marathon runner buddies. Geez, I just about threw in the towel right there. 10k for marathoners is a walk in the park. I did not give up though and off we went. I made it about 5 miles before I had a mild asmtha attack and my inhaler was back in the car, I know totally irresponsible, but I pushed through it with my practiced breathing techniques and although it sapped a lot of my energy I was not giving up at that point. Summer asked if I wanted to walk and I said no, but in my head I was screaming "hell, yes and bring me a margarita". Needless to say, since I am writing this, I finished my run with the big girls and lived to tell the tale. I am even looking forward to my next run with them. It really is easier to have someone there pushing you along when you need it. I am still not calling myself a "runner" even though I am running three to four times a week and averaging 12-15 miles because runners are "crazy". LOL