Born to run? Not really.

Some people are born to run, I am not one of them!!  In school I was very non-athletic.  You know, one of those that are always picked last for teams, left standing there while the team captain knows that they will have to pick you  because you are the only one left?  Yep, that was me, how humiliating, it still hurts.  I was a little bit on the chubby side in school, could not run fast, had no interest in sports.  In my senior year I finally decided that I could stand to lose a little weight, and I did!  Just set my mind to it and lost probably 20 pounds or so, was able to keep it off over the years, but never by exercising, I just never ate!  In my mid- 20's aerobics was the craze and  a friend and I signed up for a class at the Y, found out that I was pretty good at the aerobic thing and actually got chosen, along with some others to demonstrate at a local mall, pretty nifty for someone who had always been chosen last.  Plus, the aerobics helped keep my weight down and I could eat!  So....a couple of years later I started the running and have not quit in 35 years.  I have never been fast, or had good form, or looked like a runner, I just run.  I can't tell you how running has helped my self-confidence.  I have found, over the past 5 years, since I started running the longer distances, the running is as much a mental exercise as a physical one.  I can tell you that there have been times during a half marathon when I felt I could not put one foot in front of the other, but have been determined that I will not, not finish that half marathon!  I have had aches and pains and still continued to run.  Many, many times I really do not feel like getting up at 4:30 a.m. so that I can get that run in before work, but 9 times out of 10 I do it.  I get discouraged because of my slow pace, and always bringing up the rear at races, but I keep on, just telling myself that I am doing it, I am not sitting on a couch somewhere, I have run a marathon!  For me that is amazing and I have to be reminded many times that it is quite a feat, especially for those of us who are not fast, not born to run, it does not come easy for us, every mile sometimes is hard, but we do it and we do it over and over again.

I hope this does not sound like I am patting myself on the back and saying what a wonderful person I am.  Just wanted to emphasize that you do not have to be "born to run"  you just do it!  The satisfaction you get crossing that finish line is amazing and it doesn't diminish no matter how many time you do it, even coming in dead last, which fortunately I have so far avoided, but even if I did come in last, I did it gosh darn it, and it wasn't easy, never has been.

My gym teacher would be so proud!