I was allegedly a pretty fast runner in first and second grade. I assume this was because my legs were longer than everyone else’s. But no matter the reason, those days are long gone.

Nowadays, I’m the slow one. The one who sometimes has to stop and walk for a minute or so before returning to my barely-even-running pace. But something I’ve learned over the years is that it is very, very hard to actually be LAST in a race. Even if you think you’re ridiculously slow, there is almost always someone slower. Usually those people are walkers, but who cares? I once did a half marathon with barely any training at all and still managed to not even be close to last.

 
Why am I telling you this? Well, because I’m doing the Marine Corps 10k on Sunday… with my brother, my dad and my husband. It’s highly likely that I will take twice as long as my brother to finish. He’s pretty fast.

 
But I have been running some — all of these photos were taken on walk breaks during runs — and I know I can finish. Since there’s a cut-off time, there may not be a ton of people behind me. Still, I know there will be at least a few.

So, if you’re thinking about entering a race but are worried you’re too slow? You should enter. You’re probably not as slow as you think you are. And honestly? Who cares where you finish, as long as you finish.

 
And if you still need motivation? I’ve found that cute running shoes work wonders.