I signed up for 5 5Ks, please send Help!

I’m not fast. I haven’t shed an abundant amount of weight or transformed into some immaculately sculpted athlete because of running. Some days, I don’t even want to do it at all—I’d much rather be in bed, binge watching White Lotus on Max. But running gives me something. It keeps me active, it makes me feel accomplished when I’m done, and it always motivates me to come back the next day, wondering what else I can achieve and what other goals I can crush

Every spring, it’s the same story: How many 5Ks can I squeeze in between baseball tournaments, school events, and all the other motherly domestic duties? And more importantly, how can I improve so that running one doesn’t feel like a near-death experience?

This year, I decided to up my game. Five 5Ks. April through May. And this time, I’m documenting the journey for the whole world to see.

It wouldn’t be fair to write one blog post about my success story or post a perfectly filtered picture in a shiny new race-day T-shirt, grinning with my participation medal. To make it look easy would be to place myself in the same category of social media fakeness we all roll our eyes at. You know the type—your one friend whose life seems perfect. The pristine house, the angelic kids, the dream job, and a husband who somehow still looks at her like they just met. Blechhhhhh.

I am not that person. My life is messy. Some days my hair is too. I do not have a “runner’s body,” and my peak athleticism ended when I quit basketball in tenth grade. But I do have grit. I do have determination. And I will show up, even when I’d rather be lying in bed with a Diet Mt. Dew and an economy-size bag of Starburst jellybeans.

So, if you’re looking for a real journey—not the curated kind—come along for the ride. Join me for some laughs, some tears, and hopefully some feel-good moments as I embark on a new series Mom on the Run: Not Fast, but Not Last.

 It won’t always be pretty, and it definitely won’t be easy, but I promise you this: I’ll keep going, even when the going gets tough. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll convince you to lace up, too.