And so…I’ve started running. Yes. Running. And if you are someone who has known me for a long time (or my Mother) You might find this statement a bit ironic. Considering when I was in grade school I quit Soccer because it was too much running. And in high school I rebelliously walked when we had to “run the mile” in gym class. No matter how good of shape I’ve been in my life (and by good I mean I don’t lose my breath walking up the stairs) the fact remains: I’m not a runner and never have been.
I’ve always been a bit envious of those people who can just wake up and put on some brightly colored shorts and take off for a double-digit mile run. Like the friend of mine who used to run to a town called Wever (near my hometown) and back. Uhh that’s like 26 miles! Insanity! I’ve also been a bit jealous of those couples I see on the side of the country road running together, but since my 6′ 5″ husband’s stride is approximately 3x the length of my own, I’ve nixed that idea for now. So this year. I’m determined to be a “runner” And as sad as it is, I know that the biggest motivation for me to run, is buying new running shoes and workout clothes. Fun ones, at that. You gotta look the part to play the part right? And since I love clothes, this made the most sense to me. So I started browsing Under Armor’s website and found these:
Now who WOULDN’T want to run so they could wear these? My thought exactly.
Luckily, I could easily measure the circle I live on and found that 5 laps = 1 mile. I know to experienced runners everywhere a mile is just a warm up for them but I knew I was making progress when I ran the whole mile and didn’t come home to collapse on my living room floor. Surprisingly, I made my way up to running a full 2 miles quicker than I thought I would. For the record, I’ve never done that in my LIFE. It was a big deal for me. Next up: taking off for a run and just running. Not knowing how far I’ve been and how far I have left to reach my goal. I did this last weekend when I was home. I took off from my mom’s house and ran by my old middle school, through the park I used to play in, over an old green bridge that hums when you drive on it, past my best friends’ parents’ house (brought back memories) and then past the funeral home where my Grandma’s funeral was, past the bar I’ve spent many nights (and mornings) at then rounding it out with a jog past my old elementary school. These details serve 2 purposes – 1 it can give anyone from my hometown reading this the general area where I ran (like anyone would care..) but 2 – it gave me more things to think about than running or being tired (which actually…I only started struggling a couple blocks before home…I think I knew I was almost done). So of course the second I got home I google mapped how far I ran (hmm. need to invest in a pedometer) It was about 2 1/5 miles. Only slightly over my record. So not as big of a victory as I had hoped but still..I was proud of myself and promptly rewarded myself with Dairy Queen for lunch. Oops.
Perhaps the biggest motivation for all the running? I’m signed up for my very first 5k in May. Truthfully, I just really excited for the white bib you get to wear with your runner number. Oh and you can’t forget that epic “crossing the finish line” pic.
So while I may never be that person who can run marathons I’m happy celebrating my small victories. And still super stoked for my first 5k. Pictures will follow. Don’t you worry.
Good for you for starting to run. It’s certainly not for everyone, but I sure enjoy it.
google has a pedometer site that makes it super easy to map out/track your runs.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/
Good luck and keep us posted. Would love to hear how the 5k goes.
Awesome! So proud of you.