Why I Started Running
Being completely honest here, I’m a classically trained ballet dancer. So growing up all those 1 mile fitness test requirements were awful and I tried to get out of them anyway possible. So, how on earth did I end up here years later suddenly turning to running as an outlet?!
What drove me to this insane change in personality? To be honest, I wasn’t happy with who I was looking at in the mirror. I felt heavy, and technically I weighed more than I ever had, but more importantly I felt restless and trapped in my own body. I needed a physical outlet - not just a workout class, but something I could commit to, track my progress, and use my self-discipline similar to ballet. Therefore, my journey of running was born. To make sure I stuck to this new found motivation I did what any rational person would do and signed up for a race. But, not just a race - 3 to be exact - all in one weekend.
Committing to the Race
I really decided to go from 0 to 100 there, but I couldn’t think of a better way to force me to stick with this new journey. And it wasn’t just any race, it was a runDisney event, and considering I’m a total Disney fan (controversial topic these days I know), there was no better source of motivation than to make sure I showed up and did my best. Not to mention, I paid for the race entry, the hotels, the park passes, etc. etc., the list goes on and on. I needed to make sure it was worth it. Therefore, in February 2019 I was going to run a 5k, a 10k, then a half-marathon all in one weekend. Totally doable, right?
Since I now had an actual real life race commitment it was time for action. I read a few blog posts about how to get started but in the end a close friend who’s a runner recommended Aaptiv to get started. Honestly, that was a god send! Between that and my other running reading I decided on a training plan of twice a week run for 30 minutes, for recovery or speed, and then one day that was a “longer” run outside.
Learning The Importance of Rest
To be honest things were going well, until it felt like I couldn't walk anymore because one of my feet was so painful. Turns out plantar fasciitis was the culprit. The doctor recommended rest until the pain went away. Well to a goal oriented person like me, combined with the real life events I signed up for, where on earth was “rest” supposed to fit into my training plan?! It didn’t, and I immediately felt incredibly defeated.
Running was already an uphill battle, sometimes both physically and mentally, and running for long distances is just time for my mind to battle itself on whether I’m capable of doing this or not. It’s something I still battle with to this day. At the time, it felt like all my incredible planning was for nothing.
Even with the injury I worked out when I was able, but with each passing week - signing up for this race sounded like the worst decision I ever made.
The Countdown To Race Day
Luckily, I started to heal just in time for the local turkey trot 5k. I wasn’t sure how it was going to go, but I finished it without pain and in under 30 minutes! This was the moment I realised I could really do this. Every week when my long runs got a little longer I never felt more proud of myself. The first time I ran 7 miles I think I told my husband like 100 different times that day.
This fueled me for the last couple months until race day. I didn’t really know what to expect given it’s my first race, and not to mention runDisney events are very large. I can tell you the 4am departure time for the starting line was a shocking turn of events! But, passing all my favorite landmarks through the disney parks, it was the most surreal experience. After my half-marathon on the last day, when I had all my medals with my husband and parents there to congratulate me, I really couldn’t believe I had done it.
No matter what I told myself for literally my entire life about how I hated running, how I’ll never be good at it, and how that would never be me - I proved almost 30 years of negative thoughts wrong!
Happily Running Ever After
From that moment on, running turned into an outlet I can't live without. No matter what was going on in my life even when things were crazy, running was and still is one of the best mental exercises for me to complete. Plus, those endorphins from working out don’t hurt either (I’m trying so hard not to quote Legally Blonde here).
How each person starts running is different, but as far as I’m concerned, if you walk or run any distance or any amount of time, you are a runner. No amount of time or distance will change that. I mean, my parents were 65 and 69 years old when they started running and now this year they are going to run a half-marathon!
Let me know your stories of any hobbies, physical activities, etc. that help bring you fun and joy! I’m always up for trying something new 🙂
