Mission Accomplished!

There is nothing quite as satisfying as setting a goal and attaining it. Last year, Chuck and I decided to participate in the Trek up the Tower, which is a 40 floor, 870 step vertical challenge in Omaha's tallest building, the First National Tower. I quit around the 20th floor. I was hurting and couldn't catch my breath. I took the elevator down and sat down, caught my breath and realized I had just made a huge mistake in quitting. I vowed to do it again this year and finish, no matter how long it took me. Yesterday we participated in the event again and I finished it! I was so excited that I walked right past the people giving out the medals and didn't get one. I went back later and got mine and was overhead by an Omaha World Herald reporter, who decided my story was interesting. I was in the paper today! This is what it said about me:

Stephanie Svajgl, 34, somehow slipped by. "I didn't get my medal," she said, returning to the corridor of greeters. "Thank you. I earned it."

Svajgl said she participated last year but quit on the 20th floor. "I just couldn't breathe and my legs were like 500 pounds," she said. "I took the elevator down. And regretted it ever since." The Bellevue woman redeemed herself Saturday.

Here is a link to the entire story:
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798&u_sid=10266585

Anyway, it was not easy at all. I stopped and rested at every chair they had. It took me about 23 minutes. Not bad, you say, well not good when the first place person finished in under 5 minutes. But I accomplished a goal and am proud of it. Next year, my goal is to finish it in less time, which will require me to actually prepare for it, which could benefit my weight loss program, which is not working right now. So for now, Yeah! for me.