I’ve always been athletic, from the earliest time I can remember. I grew up in gymnastics, and loved playing sports. My fondest memories of high school were my athletic experiences, and sports taught me a lot of hard work and mental preparation. One of my greatest accomplishments was winning a state championship in both the shot put and discus, but I knew those awards were earned because of the time and dedication that I spent every day on my craft.
Even though I was athletic, running was not something enjoyed, well, ever. I was decent at a short sprint, but anything above that I dreaded. This last May, I decided to do something that for the months following I wondered, “What the heck am I thinking??”
What was this awful thing that I had done? I signed up to run a half marathon. Now, I had never ran farther than a 5K in my life, and the last time I had run that was my freshman year of college. So what gave me this hair brained idea?
Well, I have a friend from high school who was a cross country and actually enjoys running. She convinced a friend of mine from college (we all worked together at Farm Bureau) to run this half marathon with her, and therefore I got nominated too. I needed a reason to try to get in shape, so I agreed, paid my money, and then began to dread what I knew I’d have to do, because I don’t quit things.
My first run was on June 24. I ran a mile, and thought I was going to die. I was slow, awkward and heavy, and the next day I hurt. All I could think was, “There is no way that I can do this.”
However, I kept at it, and pretty soon I was running three miles and feeling ok about it. Then I ventured farther, and when I finally got up to half of my race (6.55) miles, I was estatic. It wasn’t as hard anymore, even though some days it felt like I was running through molasses. Running was becoming of part of life.
I kept pushing, and one day I had the feeling, “I CAN do this. I can be a runner.” It was very freeing, because I knew I had passed my mental block, which was just as much of a hurdle as getting my body in shape. My mind had to follow.
When I told people what I was doing, I was surprised at not only how many people encouraged me, but also how many said, “Are you sure you are ready?” A half marathon is a daunting task, but it’s not as bad as I had imagined it. I just had to train, and I knew that I did everything that I could. It wasn’t easy, and I missed weeks of training due to illness. But I never gave up.
On race day I was nervous, but I felt like I could do it. Crossing the starting line activated my competition attitude, and it was game on. The first few miles felt pretty good, but it was actually the middle of the race when I felt the best. I enjoyed the cheering, the encouragement the volunteers gave us, and the freedom of focusing only on the task at hand.
My goal first and foremost was to finish. I hoped to complete it in 2 hours 30 minutes, and I ended up finishing at 2:29. Not bad for my first attempt. The finish was exhilarating. I turned the corner to the home stretch, and the adrenaline hit and I sprinted to the finish. I was handed my metal, and my first instinct was to cry. Not because I hurt, or couldn’t breath, but because I had done it, in the time I wanted, and I never walked.
I was told that training for this would not help me loose weight. Those people were wrong. Running helped me shed more than 20 pounds, and trim down. However, more important than that it allowed me take back control of my health. Like many Americans I had become more sedentary than I liked, and sitting at a computer for hours a day and eating out didn’t help. I wasn’t happy with how I looked and more importantly, how I felt. So I changed it.
Working every day on the farm helps keep me strong, but I needed the cardio to stay fit. Being healthier has helped me on the farm to be more productive, and all it took was some determination, being more conscious of what I was eating, and the dusty county roads.