When I started running, it was so I could compete in triathlons. I was really looking for a race vehicle where I would be able to swim, something I consider myself pretty good at. It was the running that would be the tricky part.
It took me the better part of a year to get to a point of running (very slowly) a distance that would be considered respectable in the race world (5K, 3.1 miles) but I can do it now. It took the rest of the year to get to a point where I didn’t dread running 3.1 miles.
Surprisingly, I can run that distance now without too much dread. And finishing any distance always feels like an accomplishment.
I was worried though that after race season ended (Sept. 13 for me), I wouldn’t run again until February…a couple of months before my next race season starts. I mean I haven’t been on a bike since Sept 13 (other than the stationary at the gym, which I don’t know that that counts) and I’ve been in the pool twice maybe?
But the running? I keep doing that. Sunday I ran 4 miles, the farthest I’ve ever gone. And consistently, I’ll get home from work at night and if the sun is still shining (and even sometimes when it isn’t), without hesitation I throw on my sneakers, running gear and iPod and head out the door. I don’t run every single day but I’m out there four or five days a week. Part of me doesn’t want to waste what’s left of the beautiful weather. Part of me though, I think, needs the release.
Lately, my life has been upside down hectic, between work and home things that have required my attention. Everything feels stressful, and there are days where I feel pulled in 19 directions at once. It will calm down eventually, but it will ramp up again too. Of that I’m sure.
But right now, in this unusually annoying stress, running— with no race in sight— has been my hideout. It’s easy to throw on sneakers and head out the door. I get 30-45 minutes of me time (just me and my music) where I don’t have to think about anything more than what tune to listen to next and the sound of my feet hitting the pavement (when I can hear them above the music). I make the decisions, I have control over how far I go and how fast (which is never very fast because well, I’m slow). I don’t have to listen to anyone else, no one ever wants to come with me, I don’t bring my phone. I can shut off from the world when I run. I can even shut off my brain when I run, or I can let it wander. Whatever, it’s all up to me. When I’m running, it’s all about me. And when I get home, my family gets back a much more centered, relaxed “me.”
I was really hesitant when I started running. I thought I could tolerate it. I never thought I would actually like it. Now, I can’t imagine my life without it. Because, honestly? In the chaos that is my life these days, running is keeping me sane.
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Thank you for the post. I do have a couple of questions. How long into your training was it before you could run a mile without walking any? Only running? How long did that take you?
I so agree that walking and running are such a stress release. Nice job and I love your new blog!
You are doing great by taking the stress of by running. You seem to be at a point that so many of us want to get to and have never been.
I really van not get myself to the point that I even remotly like running. Maybe someday.
Love the new blog it looks great!
Since I was never a runner before and I was a bit afraid of getting injured in the beginning (when I started running I weighed 200 pounds still), it took me a long time. It took me about 4 months to be able to run a mile without walking, but I was working on 2 miles from the beginning because of the first race I had planned. It took me 7 months before I could run 2 miles without stopping. One thing I didn’t count on when I started training was the difference between running on the treadmill and running on the road. I was able to do the running on the treadmill but when I started running outside, it was almost like starting over again.
Thanks! Glad you like the new design. It was fun.
When I started running it was definitely a challenge and I didn’t like it more than I liked it. What I did like was seeing progress each week. Couch 2 5K was a really motivating way to start running. I took it a lot slower than what they suggest though. Now running is my exercise of choice. Who would have thought?