Welcome! My Running Story.

For most of my adult life if someone asked me to join the Running Room with them or a local moms running group I declared my hatred for all things running and the topic was closed. Despite the nagging feeling in the back of my mind I just wasn’t going there. The truth is, I was scared. I was never an athlete and running to the stop sign left me winded. Honestly? I didn’t think I could do it so I quit before I even started.
Then I began to see friends fitting a quick run in before work or running during our kids’ soccer practices and I knew that this was something I had to at least try. The flexibility and simplicity were the only way I was ever going to get a good workout. I had joined many gyms and signed up for tons of classes but with my crazy work schedule mixed with my kids crazy schedules I hardly ever got there and ended up feeling guilty and was no fitter.
So, 4+ years ago I decided I had had enough of my own excuses. I picked up a beginning runners book and started to train for a 10k. I had never run even the short block down the street but I had promised myself that I would at least finish this program. I knew that if I didn’t commit to that I would never truly know how I felt about running.
The first few weeks were HARD. Despite the fact that the program started off with only 30 second runs and 1.5 minute walks I found myself really needing to push to get through the half hour. Then, when the running got longer and the time moved up to 1 hour I started to feel things changing. My body was adapting. I was able to go further for longer.
In the beginning it was my cardio that held me back but by the time I was past the 5k mark my cardio was in great shape, it was my legs that got tired first. I started to notice that I could run up the stairs without feeling out of breath which I hadn’t even noticed happened in the past. Plus, I started to lose a bit of weight (weight loss was not my goal but that extra 10lbs sure was a blessing!) and feel good about my body.
Then, I registered for a 10k run. Man was I nervous! I had never done anything competitive before in my life and even though I was one of thousands at the starting line I had serious butterflies. As the gun went off I started to cry and continued to cry for the first 2k! Tears of joy and pride. I had accomplished something I never, ever thought I could do.
That 10k was hard. Really, really hard. The last 2 kilometers were beyond painful but I pushed through. I had a goal of 60 minutes and although I was 1 minute over I was still ecstatic. I did it.
In the years that have passed I have continued to run. However, a bad back and knees has limited me to 5k and has often meant extended breaks but I still run whenever I can. I learned so much about myself through this process and know now that I really have no excuses. No matter how out of shape or scared or lazy anyone can do this if they set their mind to it.
So, grab your runners and let’s go! And share your story about running.