Becoming a Runner- Part One

My run becomes a walk as I struggle to work my way to the top of a steep hill in my neighborhood. My lungs and legs are burning and this is the moment my three-year-old daughter throws me some motivation, “Come on Mom… RUN!” Easy for her to say. She’s not the one pushing a double jogger up this beast. I love taking my girls on my runs, minus the fact that there are 50 pounds between my two daughters and they make every run 10x harder than if I was by myself. I know the resistance will only make me a stronger runner so I embrace the pain and push through those tough times. I love spring and knowing that now I can get off the treadmill and take my running outdoors.

I’m not sure where my running began. I guess it started with my love for soccer growing up. I loved how good I felt after a practice or game when I pushed myself. As I got older, running seemed to be the perfect exercise. It was a great way to get in shape, it was cheap and I could do it anywhere. It was in college where my running really began to take shape. In my second year of college I decided I wanted to train and run a marathon. Of course at the time I had no idea what I was getting into. My training was a little less than ideal and I was really humbled when I ran my first marathon. I gained a lot of respect for the 26.2 mile distance because the St. George Marathon taught me that you really do have to dedicate yourself to the training.

After that I stepped back and taught myself how to be more dedicated and disciplined. I love how running has made me a stronger person in all areas of my life.  No one really wants to get up at 5 am and go running, but you learn to do it because sometimes that is what you need to do. No one really likes those long, lonely 20 mile training runs, but you do it because you have to for marathon training. These are only a few of the things running has taught me.

How do you become a runner?

It doesn’t happen overnight. Becoming a runner takes hard work, discipline, dedication, motivation, and self control.  Sure you may have tried being a runner, and maybe you’ve spent a month or two trying to run but to no avail. You must keep trying. You have to push through the uncomfortable feeling because becoming a runner may take up to a year. Most people never make it past three miles which is a shame because the first three miles is usually the worst part of the run! Three miles is only a warm up to the runner’s high that you will inevitably feel as you keep training. Stayed tuned for Part 2 where we will talk about exactly how to begin to become a runner.