A year ago, if you would have told me this past weekend I ran 30k in a race... I would have laughed. I did not expect to "become a runner." I did not go out one day, and start training from the beginning. Running is not easy, especially when starting out. That is why most people hate it. But, I liked the challenge. I knew if it felt this hard at first, it would feel extremely rewarding when someday it felt easier.
My running journey started in April of 2020 when I set out to get 10,000 steps in my day. I started out with going for a few walks every day. I had just gone through a huge bomb of a life change, and the gym had shut down due to Covid. Like most of us, I needed something to release all of the stress, emotion, and anxiety. I wanted to feel like I was doing something to better myself. I thrive the most when I am doing something that is out of my comfort zone. Running down the Hampton Road while out of breathe was most definitely not comfortable. ;)
One day I started to jog on the route that I would go for my daily walk on. I did not make it very far... but I realized that I loved the movement of running. Jogging wasn't so hard if I was mindful of going easy. I was surprised! My running would consist of a 3k journey on a very easy trail. I was not fast, and it did not feel good most of the time. I walked in between, and was SUPER kind to myself in the way I talked to myself. The mindset was so important for me. I could not expect my body to run for 10k if It was not used to that. You do not pick up a baseball bat, a golf club, or jump into a game of basketball, and expect yourself to be a star. I remember the day that I ran my first 5k, my first 10k, and then my first half marathon. All of those distances were a celebration for me. It is so important to work from where your reality is. If your body is at the place where a walk everyday is a push... start there. If you love walking, and you would like to get into hiking, move into that goal. Maybe even follow the "walk a minute, run a minute" cycle at first. I loved being active, and hiking, when I started out as a runner. To this day, I still include hiking throughout my week. Any movement is progress. But, the key is to keep moving. Jump forward a few months, I started running with Saint John Trail Running, and absolutely fell in love with the community. I found running on trail 100% more enjoyable, and beneficial. I am all about the long distances, and trail helped me to pace myself so I could achieve those longer lengths. So, where am I now?! Good question. :) I am now up to 50-60k a week, and training for my first 50k trail run this July! WOW! I am pretty overwhelmed seeing the timeline of this whole journey. I am also leading a women's only trail running group that stems from Saint John Trail Running. I can not express how much I love watching people in their running journey. It is so fascinating to me that no two people are at the exact same place in that journey. We are all after different goals, dealing with certain issues, feeling amazing, feeling crappy, and everything in between. For me, surrounding myself with people who challenge and push me, but in the same breathe, support me, has been a game changer. You need a crew of like-minded people. So then, when you struggle, and you will struggle, you have the people that learn how you tick, and know how to push you. This blog is my story about becoming a runner, but is not limited to someone becoming just that. We all have goals, and places we would love to be. My biggest take-away from the last year of my life, has been to work from where I am. Mindset is everything. Learning the balance of challenging myself, but also being super kind to myself in my thoughts, has made all the difference. How does one end a blog post? I'm not too sure yet. But, if you need a push to get moving, here is me saying that if you start small, you WILL surprise yourself with where your body can take you. It's pretty amazing.
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