Running For My Sanity

As I’m sure you can guess by the blog title, this is exactly what happened to me with running. During the month of May, I ran in a 12K race and my second 5K race, and I find myself loving it more and more each time, which still surprises me when I think back to how it used to be. 

When I was younger, I hated running.  The day in PE when we ran the mile was always my second least favorite day (the rope climb always number one on the hated-PE-activity list).  I was slow (still am) and I knew it and I just hated how long it took me to finish.  I would be the kid that would walk and talk to my friends, like I just had much better things to be doing (and chatting about). 

In college, we had such an amazing gym facility and I rarely used it (kicking myself now). The few times I went, I would go directly to the treadmill and regret it so I would usually end up on the elliptical machine.  A few years after college was when I finally started going to the local 24 Hour Fitness regularly and that’s when I started to truly fall in love with working out. I continued to try and enjoy the treadmill but it just felt so cumbersome and boring. 

A few years after I had started my first job after college, a coworker wanted to ditch their giant treadmill and I jumped at the chance. I knew there was a good possibility it would become a clothes hanger but I still had a lingering desire to be a runner. Over the years I used it on and off, and when I was pregnant it was my go-to for walking. 

Yet, I still felt off when I would run. I would always need a distraction such as a TED talk or a show to watch, and even that didn’t always keep my interest. My husband and I tried to do Couch to 5K and that was fun for a while because it gave me a goal, but that eventually dwindled too. 

Finally, last year during the pandemic, I was really wanting to get outside more and finally decided I would start a running program.  The program was a 30 day program where you would run about 2-3 days per week and your goal was to run a 5K at the end. The program also included weight training, so I felt it was exactly what I needed. Starting in May, I completed the program and then repeated it which lead right up to a local 5K I wanted to run. 

I started out running during my lunch hour while I was working from home. The runs were usually only around 20 – 30 minutes. Sometimes I took my dog or my kids (on their bikes), but most of the time it was just me and the open air and the trees and a feeling of pure freedom. As the months became hotter, I started getting up before the rest of the family and running at 6:30 am before the day was too hot.  It was during those weeks that I started to fall in love with running. I fell in love with the feeling of being outside, watching nature, feeling the air in my lungs, and just moving.  

When the 5K came, I was really nervous but so very excited. I love a good goal and reaching a goal is such a high. Completing that first 5K was such a huge high for me. I finished in a little over 30 minutes and I felt amazing (there may have been a tear or two).  My husband and kids were at the finish line cheering me on and I was so happy to finish that race. I knew at the end that I was hooked. 

After that race, I decided I had a new goal: To complete an (official) 5K race in under 30 minutes. Unfortunately we don’t have a treadmill anymore so from October through almost April I didn’t get to run at all. I was still working out six days a week but it wasn’t the same. However, I kept that goal on my Top 10 Goal List and it’s been there, waiting for me. 

And now, here we are, finally back to running season (for me).  My 5K this month was close to 30 minutes as well, and less than a minute longer than my 5K last year when I had actually been training. For this most recent 5K, I had only run a couple times and still had a fairly good time. My goal is so close in my reach which is very exciting. 

I have another 5K in my sights in July and this is the big one where I am striving to finally get in under 30 minutes. I have done some planning and I think I will spend June making sure I get in 2-3 runs a week, and then in July I will do a 30-day training plan to really hit it hard. My husband and I took a walk/run this week and we mapped out a 5K route around my house that I plan to use to help me train. My hope is to keep running that route and building my endurance back up until I can knock out that route in less than 30 minutes. 

Sometimes I get frustrated that I didn’t get outside and run sooner. I tried so many times and just gave up too soon.  I’m happy I’m here now, but maybe my knees would have been a little less creaky and I could have reached my goals a little sooner. At least I’m here now and loving it. 

Back to my original question, have you ever been convinced you would absolutely hate something and then tried it and realized you loved it (parenthood, wine, running, anything)?  I’d love to hear about it in the comments!