Greatest Joy = Paying It Forward

I think I have said from my first post in this blog, that I hoped one day to be able to "pay it forward" and help others who want to improve their overall health through fitness and exercise. Here is my first story related to paying it forward....hope to have many more as time goes on!!

I had the honor (about a month or so ago) of a friend of mine asking me to start walking with her a couple of times a week to help get her started in a workout / walking program. We began a 3 day / week training program that started out with walking and has progressed into a walk / run program. Little did we know that about 5 weeks later, she would enter and complete her first 5K!! I have to say that it was not only an honor to be asked to help someone out...but it was an even greater honor to see her push through aches, pains, sweating and the "I can'ts " that creap in, to beat her personal record in her first 5K.

When starting out, it would take her an hour to complete 2.9-3.2 miles with her best training 5k done in 53.36, and on last Saturday she completed her first "official" 5k in 50 minutes!! She has worked hard and been dedicated to consistent training and it paid off for her! I am so proud of her!!

I told Frank the other day that I was more excited after coaching her through the 5k than I was after beating my own personal record! What a joy it was to pay it forward and help someone to push through barriers and "I can'ts" and recognize how strong she really is....

We all have it in us...you just have to find that thing from within that gets you up and moving, be it a friend, by yourself, an exercise video, a team...what ever it is, you too can find it if you want to...then you too can hopefully experience the joy of knowing that you can push through things that you never thought possible. Then maybe you too can experience the joy of paying it forward.


                                 The Big Finish!!


 
Our Team! Angie in front next to me....and she's still smiling!! :o)