My running journey
“If you can see your path laid out in front of you step by step, you know it’s not your path. Your own path you make with every step you take. That’s why it’s your path.”
I’ve been running on and off for 8 years now, and it’s been quite the journey. I’ve run to get fit. I’ve run just to run. I’ve run for physical strength. I’ve run for mental strength. I’ve been injured. I’ve felt at the top of my game. I’ve missed goals. I’ve beat goals. I’ve had periods of incredible consistency and motivation. I’ve had periods where motivation was severely lacking and I couldn’t be consistent to save my life.
When people think about running, especially if they have not considered themselves a runner before, it can be really intimidating. The picture we often see when we think of what constitutes a runner is an experienced runner who can run miles on end, wearing expensive gear, finishing races left and right. But I’m telling you now that if you have any desire at all to give it a shot, you’re already a runner.
I played soccer from five years old to eighteen years old, but I never considered myself a runner. In hindsight, I definitely was. But it wasn’t until college when a friend suggested out of the blue that we run a half marathon that I was introduced to recreational running. I was a couple years removed from soccer and was not in the shape I used to be. I had no idea what running a half marathon entailed, but I said let’s do it anyway.
Our first run was one mile around the block and immediately I was very worried about what I was getting into. I was surprised at how hard a one mile run could be and how it felt like the longest minutes of my life. Fast forward a whole five months later and countless hours and runs, I went from 1 mile of hell to 13.1 miles of loving the struggle, and knew I had found something that could change my life.
After that half marathon, I didn’t run again for months. I went in guns blazing and needed a long break after that. But eventually, I picked it back up and started my running journey back up again. Over the next 7 years, I ran in different capacities — went on jogs for pure enjoyment, played recreational soccer, trained for other half marathons, got injured and had to slowly reintroduce running, had my peaceful-walk-instead-of-jog phase, had times where a consistent running routine came easy, and had periods of major struggle to keep a running routine going.
At the end of the day, no matter what the journey looks like at any point in time, running has instilled a sense of confidence in me that translates to every other aspect of my life, because running can be really hard. But it can be so extremely rewarding. It brings a sense of physical and mental wellbeing, and grounds you in the present. I’ve learned to love the journey itself.