I have absolutely never been a runner. I have never been athletic. I have always been the creative kid – reading literature, writing stories from within, and everything photography related. I have an imagination that functions a degree away from Walter Mitty and more vivid, outrageous dreams than anyone else I know. But after graduating college, I found my world turned upside down and my "life plan" in shambles, shattered across the payment like little pieces of glass. I had a strong desire to look back at my life and figure out how to define "me" again. It was not easy and it took literally a full year and a half to really be able to stand on the ground on my two feet again with confidence. But I made it. I struggled through peaks and valleys (both) during those 18 months, but I found running.
Running that summer after graduation instantly gave a new definition to who I was. It was something that was against the grain of my personality, my identity, and my being. I remember calling my father on the way to the gym and him giggling at the idea of me running. Not in a hateful way, but because the idea was so out-there for me. I first started going with a friend, who was highly athletic. A college soccer player who had ran her entire life. She encouraged me, uplifted me, and taught me about each machine in the gym. She allowed me mold into her routine. It was more needed than she will probably ever know. I would take my iPod, focus on my steps, weights, and crunches, and it was insanely pleasing to my soul.
I was the 75 pound eighth grader that took twenty minutes to run a mile in grade school. There was no foreshadowing to this part of my story; however, I believe I have learn some advice to give in the process.
1. Do not wait to buy the gear.
- There are many studies and articles that say not to buy the new workout clothes or new running shoes until you have put enough quarters in a jar for each gym visit as an reward. Do they know how many quarters that is?? I am a full supporter of gear making me motivated. If I do not have running shorts clean or a fresh sports bra, the deal is typically out; there is not gym visit that day. Additionally, when I started, I was not a previous "athletic" person...I had nothing but volunteer T-shirts, pajama pants, and regular bras. I am not even sure I owned a pair of sport shoes. I would have felt more uncomfortable not looking the part. And I know that sounds silly, and that I care what those strangers at the gym think of me, but I did... and that would have made it enough to demotivate me. My favorite gear is still really cheap and reasonable. My best and most worn workout clothes are all Old Navy and all of my sport bras are from American Eagle. I have learn that although you can buy, you do not have to splurge.
2. Regardless of how you poorly you have treated your body in the past, you can change it.
- After neglecting to care for my body for much of my life, running was my gateway to other, greater things. Each gym visit gets easier. My sleep improved. And I will have more energy. Each time I get out of my routine, I struggle for even the desire to walk the block to the gym for a ten minute treadmill pick-me-up. However, once I go, tomorrow is less of a struggle and less of a drag. I even better than I did better, and growing up a child that indulge in vegetables does not even compared to the healthy habits that I pick up when I am running.
3. Some days I do not like running.
- I really don't. I have a conversation with myself about how my knee is going to randomly give out or that maybe I will fall off the treadmill in an empty gym and lay there for hours without any help. Some days I set my alarm for a 5am run to wake up angry at myself when my alarm goes off; I immediately throw my phone across the bed. I tell myself that my body wasn't made to be a runner, that my body is punishing me for "all of a sudden" deciding to attempt to be athletic. I beat myself up to the point that I feel bad if I go and terrible if I don't, but there is the one thing that I try to focus on... terrible if I don't. I always worse if I do not make it to the gym and thankfully, God encourages me that I can do it, and that he did not give me a faulty body regardless of what I think day-in and day-out.
4. If you have time to read blogs about running, you have time to workout.
- I read this once in a blog. Seriously. I laughed and immediately put my computer down and went to the gym. It all goes back to living intentionally. There is always time, especially for those things that will better your life and the lives of others around you for the glory of God. If it is a priority, then the time will be important enough. And this goes for all aspects of life :: prayer, evenings with your husband, coffee dates with friends, and running.
5. It is okay to set goals that do not make sense to others.
- I sometimes go to the gym specifically at 6:30pm. Not because it is convenient, but because I can watch a full episode of Wheel of Fortune and not even realize the time. When I started running, I would try to make it on the treadmill for an entire episode of Gossip Girl or some other ridiculous show that I loved at the time. I did not care if I was running, jogging, or walking; an hour on the treadmill is an accomplishment.
I do not consider myself a "runner" like some people do. I do not have any medals and I do not typically enjoy running outside unless the weather is just right. I make a thousand of excuses for myself and consistently tell myself that the "old" me did not run, which means running now is pointless. However, the moment that I find the perfect beat in a Lecrae or more likely, Rend Collective, my soul is filled. And that is really want matters. Running is like life; there are victories and defeats in every day life, but we have to keep pressing on to make sure that we make it to the finish line with the same intention to which we started.
What's your motivation for exercise? Are any of you out there new to it, like me? How did you get started?
