A special update from Marie...
After 8 long weeks of training, our 5K Running Group is ready to face the Santa Monica-Venice Christmas Run on Saturday, December 10th! 22 people started the training back in October as we began running just under 1 mile. Now here we are, 8 weeks later, and 12 people should feel proud to say they stuck with it and finished the whole training program! In this final week, all runners completed their goal of 3.1 miles and EVERYONE finished in under 45 minutes! For most participants, this was their very first time attempt to run at all. Their patience, determination, and dedication paid off!
I cannot say how proud I am of these finishers...just like any other program (whether for exercise, diet, or anything else), it is hard to stay committed and actually finish. We lost almost half of our runners as the weather got colder, the evenings got darker, and the holidays approached. As our numbers dwindled down, I realized that there really is one defining element to being successful in reaching a goal: COMMITMENT! There was no reason (or excuse) that held these runners back from finishing. We dressed warmer, used flashlights, stayed in groups, and kept running...Congratulations to each and every one of them!!!!