Here is a photo my grandpa snapped of Chris and I after the race, after I caught my breath and got some water, of course.

I completed my 5k, and my confidence could not be higher.

When people ask how it went, I have told them “Well, I didn’t cry, and I didn’t quit so I’ll count that as a win.”

Chris helped me through, he helped me with the mental battle. He encouraged me all the way. There were some hills I really wanted to just make him drag me up, but I didn’t. The physical battle had to be all me. I had to show my mind that my body could do it.

I felt like I was going to die at the end of it. My back hurt. I was dizzy and desperate for water, but the confidence and pride I felt was unbeatable.

My grandparents came to see me run, mostly because they were so surprised that I was actually doing it. Once I smiled for the camera grandma had out and crossed the finish line, it was all I could do to not fall on the floor.

Luckily, a volunteer gave me a water bottle, and once I drank some I felt amazing.

I believe the runners high comes after you finish a run, not during it.

To be completely honest, it went better than I thought it would, but in some ways not how I wanted it to go.

At the beginning of my training, I set a goal to finish the race in 35 minutes or below.

Did I meet that goal? No. I came in with a time of 37 minutes. Two minutes shy of my original goal.

However, a few days before the race when I did my final run, I was convinced it was going to take me 45 minutes to complete –if I even completed it at all.

But I did –I did it.

And I am proud of it.

Maybe it took me as long to run three miles as it takes some people to run four or five.

Maybe I had to stop and walk more than I wanted to.

Maybe I didn’t mean my original goal.

But you know what I did do? I started something, and I finished it. And that feels good.

I think too often we downplay our accomplishments because they don’t compare to that of others. It is okay to be proud of meeting a goal that you set for yourself, even if it is a small one.

Sure, some people were running 26.2 miles that day and I was running a 5k, but I did what I could do. I accomplished something I wanted to accomplish.

I think that sometimes we make things not okay or lesser than they are because it is embarrassing to be proud of things that seem so small and easy.

To a marathoner, three miles is nothing. To me, it was everything I worked for.

So if you are starting out running, high five yourself when you make it 30 seconds without stopping.

You run a quarter of a mile and don’t feel like dying? Congratulations!

Make it five minutes running? You go, dude!

The little things matter so much more than we realize. It’s the little things that build up to the big things, cherish those. Cheer for those.

Thank you to the people who cheered me on and encouraged me along the way, it means more than you realize.

So what’s next?

I am going to take a break from writing this column until January 2014 –but that doesn’t mean a break from running! I’m going to start training for a 10k and come back with some new goals.

See you guys next year!