I love hearing this stuff because it reminds me of how powerful this sport is--because it transcends the title of "sport." It's therapy, meditation, fitness, peace of mind, togetherness, goal-setting, competition...so many different things to different people. And it's one of those "I could never do that" that becomes "I never thought I could do that...but I can!" Talk about a confidence booster.
I was out on a short run this morning (45 minutes)--with my new triathlon training schedule, I don't run longer than an hour on any given training run (geez--not so long ago, the idea of a 45 minute run was not at all "short" in my mind!). The sun was beating down and I could hear the cicadas, the "sound" to me of summer, of "heat." I think that sound alone made me feel even hotter than I already felt on this run. I was panting, sweating, and within 20 minutes wanted to just stop, turn around, and start walking home. But I didn't. I kept running. Because I had set a goal, I was training, and this 45 minute run was on today's schedule. Today was the day I ran because I had to, not because I wanted to.
Today's run was one of those runs that I want all "new" runners to be aware of--there are those days that you run more of obligation than out of love for the feeling of your feet hitting the pavement or the wind "blowing through your hair." I have actually been having more of these days than normal lately because of the heat and humidity (this is one of many reasons I was never a runner growing up in the South!). I actually read a very helpful Runner's World article about this recently--the battle that all runners face with the heat--that made me at least feel better about days like this when it feels like my legs are 90% lead.
It's days like today that I keep running because I am reminded of that feeling that I got when I stepped over the threshold of "running is miserable" to "running feels good" (even if I was running at 11:00 minute pace!). I still remember the first time I ran for a consistent 20 minutes without stopping to heave up my lungs after only 8 minutes. I remember completing my first 5K and how proud I was to have "run" the entire thing! I remember the first time I crossed a half-marathon finish line. I remember crying the second time I crossed a half-marathon finish line and knew I had just run a 14 minute PR.
I remember.
It's on days like today--hot days. sleepy days. days when I'm "squeezing" in my run before other obligations--that I find inspiration in those memories, those emotions that pushed me past my ability to run for 8 minutes into that realm of actually deeming myself "a runner." When I first started, I would hesitate to call myself a runner thinking, "I like to run, but I'm not very fast. I've never run a race. I can't call myself something I'm not. I might offend the running community." Now that I've pushed myself past that 11:00 minute mile, now that I have signed up for and completed races of different lengths, now that I have started integrating actual "workouts" into my running routine--I feel very comfortable calling myself a "runner."
But, I should have started calling myself a runner a long time ago because, honestly, it doesn't take much. A pair of running shoes. A desire to get out there and pound the pavement at a quicker pace than my daily walk from the parking lot into the office. An even crazier desire to do this more than once. That's a runner.
So, to my friends. You are a runner. No matter how fast you go, how often you do it, whether you enter a race or not, you are a runner.
I will warn you--it's addictive. You may not feel like signing up for a race now, but at some point it will hit you that it's the best way to celebrate this newfound freedom. Don't get caught up in the numbers. 11 minutes. 10 minutes. 9...8...7...6...wherever you fall on the spectrum, you're a runner.
Happy trails! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment