Becoming a Runner

So today I'm going to talk about running. I love running, but alas... it has not always been so. My husband used to joke that the only way to get me to run was to strap some ice cream to the car and stay just ahead of me. In order for jokes to be funny, they have to have some truth to them, and this joke was funny. It wasn't entirely true, though. I probably wouldn't have run after that, either. I would have gotten into my car, driven to the store, and bought my own darned ice cream.

When I first started exercising, I was not able to run. I have a bum knee (which was a handy excuse for many years, if I do say so), I was carrying thirty extra pounds of weight, and it was all I could do to walk to the end of the street. I distinctly remember trying to do a fast walk up to the gate (about a half mile walk, largely uphill), and having my daughter laugh and tell me I sounded like I was dying. So my exercise did not start with running. It started with walking and wheezing.

But after I had lost a few pounds and the walking became easier, I decided one time to incorporate a small jog into the mix. I made it about half a block before I had to stop because I was gasping for breath so bad. But every day I walked, I made sure I jogged just a bit. You know, until I thought I was going to die -- then I stopped the jog and walked again. I felt so triumphant the first day I made it from the end of the street back to my house at a slow jog without stopping. Granted, it was all downhill... and I didn't have an easy time making it. But it was a milestone for me. (I have a highly competitive nature -- and I fixed it so that I was winning against myself.)

From there, I went to jogging as far as I could up the hill to the gate. Thankfully I live on a street that is largely deserted and I didn't have to worry about coming into contact with neighbors who would see me in my scary state.

I finally did make it to the top last summer. I, for the first time in my life, experienced the cardio high that I had heard so much about and thought was something people made up to get me to try exercising. It really does exist!

Long story shorter, I continue to try and beat myself. Um... wait. That doesn't sound right. I continue to compete against myself and WIN. That sounds much better. I've managed to become a runner and a winner... and yes, it helps that I'm running by myself. I'm pretty much guaranteed a win as long as I push myself a little harder or a little farther.

For the first time ever, I made it a full five miles, running at about six miles per hour. For dedicated runners all over the world, this sounds like a mere pittance. But to me... I'm a serious winner. And really, when it's about my health, my exercise, my body - what I think is what really matters.

Running. It rocks.