A Piece of the Puzzle

It's a sparkly-clear, blue sky kind of day. It smells cold and crisp. Energy crackles through the air. Muffled clapping from hands sheathed in gloves and mittens mixes in with "Good job! You're almost there!", whistles and cowbells. So many smiles all around for everyone going by.
About 10 yards from the girls with the cowbells, not far from a yellow barrier on the left, is a woman in a heavy coat, winter hat and safety vest. She's also clapping and waving people on. To the right, you can see people standing close together like they are trying to keep warm while they watch for something in excited anticipation. The long shadows are a testament to the early hour of the morning.
There's a girl coming this way.
The girl is me. I was running. In search of awesome. I found a piece of it that day in the Bass Pro Halloween 2009 5K. I had signed up for this race, my first race ever, to make sure I stuck with a running program. I was afraid that without a goal, I wouldn't follow through with running. What is life without goals, right?
It was cold and bright that morning. I had my leg wrapped, but wore capri pants so I wouldn't over heat. My gloves and my shoes made me especially happy that day because my gloves looks like gorilla hands and my mom says my shoes make my feet look like gorilla feet. Sunglasses, tech shirt and purple headband complete my not-so-fashionable running ensemble.
At the start, I was so nervous. There were so many people there, though, that I quickly forgot about nerves and just started watching other people. Some were wearing costumes that made me giggle. Some were wearing costumes that made me think, "Oh come on, I can surely beat that person".
I fell into a rhythm after the 2nd turn. I was having so much fun just listening to my iPod and watching others go past me. Suppressing a giggly feeling when I was able to pass up someone else. The cold from the pavement seeped into my shoes through the ultra thin rubber soles of my Five Fingers, numbing my feet within 5 minutes.
I did really well in this race, especially for being my very first ever. I ran that first 5K in 35:01, placing 21st in my age group. Right on.
This was what I see as a beginning of long, challenging, fun journey. I have chosen to follow a new path; a path that will require me to explore the depths of my commitment, endurance and physical and mental strength. Along the way, I will learn more about who I was, who I am and who I am meant to be by picking up more pieces of awesome and putting them together with what I already have. The best thing about this journey I'm on is that there's never really an end. Even if my body stops, my mind doesn't have to and I can pass along the knowledge I acquire to others who need it.
To read the race report from this day, click here.