I started my serious running career at age 4 1/2. The elementary school Fun Run:
Looks like I was having a ball right!?…Unfortunately, I got so burned out after the intense training for that race that I took the next 26 years off.
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I always felt like I was the ‘sturdy girl’…so sturdy that my years of track and field in High School didn’t include running laps on a track – rather heaving heavy objects into dirt. (ie: Shot Put & Discus) It also meant I spent countless hours in the weightroom. I never felt athletic, or fast…just sturdy.
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This year I decided I wanted to run and I wanted to run far.
I desperately wanted something to be proud of so I resolved to run a 1/2 marathon every month of 2014.
Today is National Running Day and the perfect day to revist the first 6 months of my goal:
I could write paragraphs on each race, but I’ll keep it short and sweet. Here are just a few thoughts on the first 6 months:
JANUARY: Polar Dash 14 Miles – I told my mom the night before: “If I can do this, I can do anything.” I did it and I’ve never doubted myself since.
FEBRUARY: Lace Up For Breast Cancer 13.1 Miles – The coldest and most icy but I experienced a boost when I caught sight of my godmother, cousin and daughter at mile 12.5.
MARCH: Get Lucky 13.1 Miles – One of my fastest races…perhaps it was the anticipation for the post race party: a get-together with my awesome cousins surrounded by “grandma’s food”
APRIL: Run For The Lakes 13.1 Miles – The first race I have ever had to slow down & walk for a 1/2 mile in. It was my toughest race physically, mentally & emotionally. I was spent.
MAY: Superior Hiking Trail Endurance Race 15 Miles – MY FAVORITE RACE EVER!!! Mud, rocks, waterfalls, hills, drop-offs… Running alongside one of my favorite people. Fantastic memories. Period.
JUNE: Minneapolis 1/2 Marathon 13.1 Miles: – The race was CANCELLED due to weather a minute before the start. I was discouraged but not about to skip my 2014 commitment so I ran 13.1 the next day around Lake Nokomis.
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The races have taken me all over the state: from St.Paul to Rochester to Minneapolis to Nisswa to Lusten….and many paths, sidewalks, dirt roads and treadmills in between. I’ve been fast and I’ve been slow and I’ve made memories that I’ll have with me for a lifetime.
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I have no clue where the next 6 months will take me. I have not signed up for anything yet because I’m about to enter the busiest months of my year for business. I am determined to find a 1/2 Marathon every month, but in the event that I don’t, I will keep my promise to myself and run 13.1 miles somewhere.
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My little girl is my heart and soul. We walk almost daily at the pond down the street. 0.6 miles around 1 time. By the time we arrive there she asks to be out of her stroller. I proceed to push an empty stroller and she runs beside me as fast as her 2 year old legs will carry her, excitedly proclaiming: “I’m a racer like you mommy!”
And that’s why I’m doing this.
I’m doing this so I can be an example to the little eyes that watch me everday…So she knows she can accomplish anything if SHE believes she’s capable.
I said on December 31st, the eve before my 1st race of the year…”If I can do this, I can do anything.” With warm tears streaming down my frozen cheeks, I crossed the finish line and realized at that moment that there was nothing I couldn’t do if I believed in myself. To this day, I don’t think it’s my training or my diet or my clothes that allows me to finish these races. It’s just the simple belief I now have in myself; and because of that, I’ll keep running.
