This race was amazing! It meant a lot to me! I would like to publicly thank all my fans who showed up to my race! My mom , Karen(my mother in law), Grandma Warner, Yannick( my brother) Ethan ( my brother) Erin, Cora , Eason, Brevan and I can't forget my hottie Matt. Also want to thank my other supporters who couldn't make it to the race but were there in heart, Jeannie and Neil and their family and all my good friends! I love you guys!
So I wanted to share my experience with you all. I have been training for a few races over the past few months. The Wasatch woman's love your body 10k was my first race! I was so excited for this race because it was my first and what it stood for. It was a charity race where it was raising money for girls with eating disorders and teen suicide and self esteem problems. It also stood for loving your body! Where most of you know through out my life I have never loved my body! I loathed it for years!( I might even say for 27 years lol) But I broke through that self hatred and learned to love my body! And by loving my body I take care of my body! This race was the perfect race to be my first.
The night before the race I felt like I did the night before I was going to be induced with my first child. I was excited and nervous and didn't know what to expect. I had been training for this for months but I was still scared. I thought what if I don't finish or what if the hills are so bad that I have to walk. The morning came fast and matt and I went down to sugar house park I had my number and all my gear (ipod, Knee braces, Powerade and fruit). The time seemed to fly by and there I was standing in the back of the crowed for the 10k race to start. I felt tears start to well up I wasn't sad I just couldn't believe that me Celeste was about to run 6.2 miles in a race. I started off in the back because I didn't want to feel bad if people passed me I wanted to do the passing. When he said go everyone started to take off some sprinted some walked and I just kept telling my self pace your self slow down if you need. I started to pass people and it felt amazing, not that it was about winning or losing it was just about my own personal success. There were a lot of hills in the run and I had run hills in training but not as many as there were in this run. I kept my pace and I was feeling amazing. Each mile was dedicated to a person or people I loved. And each mile had a meaning to me. As I ran each of those miles I tried to think about those people I dedicated them too. As I ran I noticed a lot of people stopping and walking and then running again. Which is fine but it was my goal to run the entire thing NO WALKING! When mile 4 came it was a big deal because mile 4 meant a lot to me but it also was the steepest hill in the entire race. I think that that hill was meant to be in mile 4 just for me. I have to say it was pretty ironic. Well all the woman I could see immediately in front of me started to walk up this hill. I again started to cry and a surge of empowerment hit me and I ran and I ran past those woman and As I came down I saw the sign Mile 5! I perked up and my speed increased and as I came along that last bend I saw my little brother and him smiling at me and the I just stated to sprint and I sprinted till I passed the finish line. I could hear my family screaming for me but I didn't see them I was so focused on sprinting. When I crossed the finish I was catching my breath and the lady who was helping take the timing chips off our shoes said you did awesome and then I started to ball and she asked are you ok. All I could say is I finished! It felt good to finish something I started. I have always been a person who starts things and has great ideas but doesn't finish them. BUT I FINISHED! I also Killed my average time! I don't know how I beat my time considering all those hills and the fact that I felt like I had to keep slowing my self down. But I ran it in one hour and 3 min and I thought I would do it in 1 hour and 15 min. (because of the hills) My average time with out hills would be 1 hour and 8 min.
Now I'm excited for my next race! Also Look for me in Wasatch woman's magazine. My story is going to be featured there!