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| First 5K: Jingle Bell Run Seattle, WA |
My best friend lit the initial spark to get me running. She motivates me to be better. And like a true leader, she does this by setting a good example. She is a runner and her fiancé is also a runner. I asked him if he has always been a runner and, to my surprise, he shared that he has not, and that his beginning was much like the description above.
I signed up for a Couch-to-5K class offered by Beth Baker and her company Running Evolution. A group class setting was valuable for me because I needed beginner advice, but most of all the class offered me accountability. Coach Beth taught me it is normal to feel like your dying when you begin. She taught me that it still counts as running even if walkers are passing you. She told me, and still does, that I will be O.K. She doesn't let me wallow in my own pile of misery or let me entertain excuses I may have (I'm certain she has heard every excuse from the hundreds of runners she has coached). Simply put, she is truly a phenomenal coach.
Well there it is, my journey in running. Prior to starting my running hobby, I never consistently did any fitness routine. I, like many others, flaked out of plenty of fitness attempts. So why has running stuck? I believe it is because I am doing this for other reasons than vanity. It has been eight months and I run because I believe I am setting a good example for my family. I run because I have always felt like a fraud as a health care provider telling people to be physically active when I am not. But other people aside, I run for me. I run because I feel like I am the best version of myself when I'm running. I run because it is an amazing outlet for stress and anxiety...I have apologized to my husband (not a strong suit of mine) more in these past eight months than I have throughout the duration of my marriage. Running has forced me, as it does many other runners, to eat better. Peak performance requires knowing what, when and how much to eat. I am happier, my family is happier, I am healthier, and feel like a better health care provider since running became part of my life. Let's not forget about the fine runners of Running Evolution who continue to inspire, support, and encourage me beyond any expectation. Coach Beth calls her Couch-to-5K class the gateway drug. It's true. I haven't stopped since I started with her group eight months ago, and will hopefully run my first marathon this fall. Maybe running isn't for everyone, but for now, it is my drug of choice.
What's yours?
