Many of our regular readers and my friends and family know about my heart issue that resulted in me having to readjust my fitness goals and aspiration. For those new readers of our STRIVE 2 Survive blog, you will have to refer back to a previous post (https://s2sbrownclinic.com/2012/05/the-reality-of-goal-setting/) to get more details. In short, my hopes and dreams of running a half marathon were diminshed when I learned my heart couldn’t take that amount of vigorous activity due to a congenital valve issue. This was a major let down for me, but I am a realist and I knew I had to move on as it wasn’t worth dwelling over and it definetely wasn’t worth dying over!
After a lot of self reflecting, I decided I needed a different goal that was better for my heart and for my spirit. Thus, I decided to sign up for the Beef & Eggs 5k race in Brookings. I also became a part of South Dakota Team BEEF thus promoting two passions of mine: running or activity in general and promoting the benefit of lean protein found in 29 cuts of lean beef. This last weekend, I fulfilled this goal and ran the 5k without any chest pain or shortness of breath. I ran with two of my best friends from college who were on the SDSU Equestrian Team with me and I couldn’t have asked for better support. My friend Anna, who is on the left of me in the picture, also a member of SD Team BEEF and my friend Katie, on the right, were a great support system for me. We weren’t too focused on time, but rather enjoyed each other’s company while doing something we all love.
Setting new goals isn’t always an easy task, especially when you didn’t meet the previous goal, however staying positive about your aspirations and being real about what you are capable of doing will help you. Setting goals pushes you to achieve more in life. In addition, it’s important to reward yourself when meeting the goals. My reward for fulfilling my new goal was a day spent with my friends after the race and it was totally worth it! I am thankful for having a great support system to help me get through the tough times and celebrate the good times.
Tomorrow I will discuss SD Team Beef, so stay tuned!
-Kelsey
