Forest Gump reprised "I was running"

Today I completed my one and only goal that I made at the beginning of the year. I ran in the Happy Trails 5K. Most runners were concerned about their times but I just wanted to run the whole way and finish. This picture shows me at the one mile mark (I'm the one in gray. No, the other fat bald guy in gray), I was feeling pretty good at that point. That feeling quickly dissipated in the second mile. I was really struggling at the 2 1/2 mark when I came upon a 72 year old female who was still running. It took me 2 1/2 miles to catch up to a 72 year-old woman! Clearly speed was not a priority for me. There is only one hill in Toledo and it was at the end of the race. It loomed like Everest on the horizon, and I was gasping like a climber without oxygen or sherpa.

I intended to raise my arms in victory as I crossed the finish line but I had neither the energy nor voluntary muscle control to accomplish the task. But for all the pain I now have the mental satisfaction of having completed a 5k. That is something that given my genetic makeup I didn't think was possible. Also, I beat that 72 year-old woman by at least 2 minutes. How ya' like them apples!