I have to confess, I’m a little sore today. Not as bad as I should be, but a little nonetheless. I ran a 5K yesterday.

Well, actually “ran” is a strong term. Let’s just leave it at: I finished a 5K yesterday. 😉

I thought I had been working out at a fairly reasonable interval. I thought that my knee injury from this summer wouldn’t be a problem. I thought that the weather would be great.

I thought wrong.

After finishing the race, my friend Joey and I made a pact, it goes like this: No more running races in North Dakota that take place prior to mid-May or after September 15. It’s a good pact to have. Yesterday morning was cold, and windy, and did I mention the rain?

But the reward was worth it. We have an Ugly Sweater beanie and we were given an Angry Orchard Hard Cider to drink. All for the low fee of about $40. (And they did have a toy drive to Toys for Tots, so it is a charitable event.)

Can someone explain that to me? I paid some organization cash so that I could run (not on pavement, but mostly crappy lawn-like terrain), get a hat that I will never wear again and a glass of cider. Now, mind you, the cider was great, but that was the most expensive cider I’ve ever had. Not only that, but I wouldn’t even consider running three miles to a grocery store to get one beer, let alone on a cold, windy, nasty day.

But it’s not about the run, it’s not about the reward, it’s about the moment. As I have been learning from those around me, life isn’t just about what you get out of it, it’s about the journey you take to get there. And yesterday was indeed a journey.

Today I’m a little sore, tomorrow I’m most certain I’ll be even a little more sore. And yet, the pain will go away, the muscles will relax, my knee will forgive me and all will be right with the world…and I’ll have one more day that will forever live on in my memory.

And that’s the stuff that life is made of.

It wasn’t just a 5K, it was a day with a great friend, complete with some pretty amazing memories! Thanks, Joey!