I am writing this post because a friend from my moms group posted this on my facebook wall "You are hugely inspiring to me, Meghan! I would love to hear the story of how you got interested in running and how you began this."
I read this and I almost cried, what me inspiring? How did this happen?
Well a couple years ago a friend of mine signed up for a 5K after doing the Beginners Luck running program. She wanted some support and was talking about it at dinner and asked if I wanted to do it as well. I said "yes". I trained for my first 5K and then she called me and said she was not going to do the run. She felt super bad and said she would pay for my entrance fee ( which she did). I had trained hard and so I still did it. I started out way to fast and it was super hard but I finished. I learned a lesson that day. I do not need anyone else to be with me to achieve my goals. Yes it does help but if I want something I go get it and do it, I do not need anyone else to do it with me.
I did not run a 5K for a long time after that... I then started reading on facebook and blogs about people I knew who were running and I wished I could do that. What?? I CAN do that and I started again. I ran a 5K and did great, I ran another and struggled. Things were so up and down but I started to want to run. It helped me release stress. I have three kids and twins at that and have you met Abby? ( love her but she takes a lot of energy). I then decided to do a 10K and that went well. I saw people posting on facebook about running the 1/2 marathon and I wanted that to be me. I set my mind to it and told myself next year and next year came and I signed up. I signed up right away, that is the key, before you can even think to much. I like to have a goal in mind and I do not stop until I reach my goal. Last year I trained hard and got hurt for a week and then trained hard again. I thought can I really do this? Yes, Yes I can. Running the Lincoln 1/2 marathon is an amazing experience. People are cheering you on the whole way, you feel like a rock star. People who did not even know you are running shout your name as you run by. My first half I started struggling after the hill around mile 9 and I heard a girl tell her friend "no one makes it 10 miles and does not finish". I then thought just make it to mile 10, but where was mile 10 this was taking forever. Mile 10 where are you? Wait I see a sign coming up here it is ,Wait no what does that say Mile 11!! OMG! I am going to do this thing I only have two miles left and I started to speed up and I even had a good kick at the end. I felt amazing!! I did it! I really did it ! Then the next day came and I could hardly walk.
You kind of forget the pain and only remember the joy so when this year came I signed up right away again. I trained harder, I ran when the girls were in preschool. That sounds easy right? I could have been doing a million different thing during preschool--- laundry, cleaning, reading, facebook, dishes, cofee with friends a nap. NOPE! I CHOOSE to run! This is my time this is my goal and this is for me!
This year running the 1/2 marathon my parents were out of town ( they felt super bad) my sisters and husband never got to cheer me on while running because the application that tracked me was so overloaded it didn't work (they all felt really bad). I had to push really hard in the heat and humidity to meet my goal of beating my last years time, I did it by over a minute and I dug deep to do that. In the end the person I do this for is me. It is not to impress anyone or to be a role model for my kids or for all the spectators watching that day. It is for me. I do it because it makes me feel stronger- emotionally, physically--- just stronger. I am proud of myself and I have turned out to be so much stronger that I ever could have imagined.
I don't think my kids will ever be impressed by anything I do. :)
ReplyDeleteBut I'm impressed by your finishing the 1/2! Can't wait to run the Havelock run with you! (Well, on the same day at you...not with you. I'll be way behind you!)