What are YOU capable of?

Today I have another guest post for you, one that is a story I am REALLY excited to share.

In the past year, I have continued to be amazed at the levels I can push myself to, the boundaries I can pass and the PRs that I can crush.  All it takes is the confidence and sometimes a friendly little push to realize it – check it out:

I’m no runner.  I’m not built like a runner.  My joints can’t handle the impact.  I’m not capable of endurance. 

I had been pretty good about a regular weight training schedule and doing a weekly elliptical workout for quite a while.  Figured that’s good enough, it’ll keep me in reasonable shape without being too stressful. 

 

The first hint I had that I might want to consider running was when I was at a conference a couple of years ago.  Anyone who travels a lot knows that hotel fitness centers are pretty much hit and miss.  There are some great ones and there are some horrible ones.  This time, I happened to be at a horrible one and the elliptical machine was not working.    Why not run outside?   So out I went, bad shoes and all.  Counting blocks as I went along to keep track of mileage.

 

This was a really ugly city in Southern California. But I took a route into a residential neighborhood off the main street.  I discovered a hidden world.  Homes with fanciful gardens, low traffic streets, friendly people giving me a nod and a wave.  Really exhilarating, despite my plodding more so than running.  But it was one and done, and I went back to my elliptical routine.  Gotta protect those knees and ankles.

 

It was about a year or so later that the idea of running came up again.  KRH was training and challenged me to register and run in a 5K race.  Intriguing idea.  I remembered the run from that year before and decided to accept.  So I went to a real running store and got some good shoes and started rolling.  One or two mile runs, not really keeping track of time or pace.  Concentrating more on just finishing.  Registering for an actual 5K race gave me a firm goal.  One I met.  Not just finishing my first race, but placing solidly in the pack.  So I could actually do this and feel great about it. 

 

Now I have two other 5Ks under my belt, as well as an Indoor Tri.  I’m training for a 10K and thinking about a half marathon.  Running is now something I look forward to.  It’s not always pretty, and it’s rarely swift.  But I am chipping away at my pace, which is getting better.  Routinely running 4 miles and having a 5 miler done as well. The old anticipated fears are gone and I’m now learning to work on the real challenges of running for me (like muscle strains and falling!).  And taking some really pretty runs as a great way to see new places. 

 

So thanks for the challenge, KRH.  I am a runner after all.

Seriously.  Does it get much cooler than that?  Go out there and challenge yourself people! It is worth it, I promise.

xo