Taylor-LeighOkay so I am jogging. Not running. Had to clarify that first.
I am jogging distances longer than one mile. And I’m actually liking it.
I sent this text to my partner that reads: “I’m craving a run…who am I????” about four weeks into our new running routine. Running for any distance longer than a sprint has always been so arduous to me. I always felt so slow and heavy. I wondered how the heck my brother got into ultra-marathons, and how my dad had been a marathoner himself. I mean, what do you even think about for that long (besides it being over)?
Needless to say, I never considered myself to be a runner. That is, until recently. Although, I’m not so sure I would use the “runner” label yet as I’m still trying to get over grunting through my mileage.
My movement and fitness background
I feel the need to add a disclaimer. I admit I was considerably “in shape” before I started this little running adventure of mine. Having a focus of optimum health has aways been a passion of mine. Being fit came somewhat easy to me as I was raised by gym-rat parents, spent most of my childhood outside, and was usually enrolled in some organized physical activity at any given time.
*But* running can be for lots of different fitness backgrounds! There are training plans online for different folks – ranging from those who have never run, to those who are ultra endurance athletes!
Thanks to my dad, we played just about every sport for fun on the weekends. We’ve done lots of trail runs over the years, and my dad always found a way to trick us kids into going a longer distance. While after those runs, I felt accomplished (and sore), I always had to really push myself to keep up as I cried inside. Looking back, I was lacking consistency and a solid plan to gradually increase the distance and place my miles strategically throughout the week. No wonder running about seven miles every month or so was so dreadful. But a meaningful experience nonetheless!
Of course, like everyone, different periods of my life have offered different levels of my own personal fitness. My main movement practice has always been dancing. In fact, it is technically my career choice as I have my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance & Choreography. While plies, jumps, rolls, falls, leaps, and kicks certainly require athletic ability, dancing is far from running.
I’ve always preferred to run fast. I still love running fast. If I could find an adult track team in my area, I would join, because although I almost joined the track team a few times throughout school, I always chose dance instead. Not to brag, but I was the second fastest in my seventh-grade gym class, and I could beat all the boys in my neighborhood.
But anything longer than half a lap around the track was a different beast.
How I got into running
Fast forward to present day. How did I turn into a person who actually chooses to go outside and run? It happened pretty quickly, and the decision was effortless, which tells me that it was the right place, right time sort of thing. I’m a big proponent of doing the things that feel inherently right yet also push you outside your comfort zone. The more you do that, the more things will fall into place, and life just gets better. So I went with my gut feeling.
One day on my local Buy Nothing Facebook group (if you don’t have one of those, you should – it is amazing!), someone posted the “gift” of a bib for our city’s big 10k event that they were no longer able to attend. It was the next day. Without thinking much of it, I decided I would ask to be considered to be the recipient. Of course, no one else wanted it, so the entry to the race was mine. I couldn’t remember the last time I had run anything more than a sprinting track workout, and here I was running 6.2 miles the next day. That’s around an hour or more of running. All at once.
I do like to challenge myself. Like the time I randomly bicycled 52 miles from one city to another and then called my partner and asked him to pick me up. Or the time I decided to train for a bodybuilding show eight weeks out and placed second in my division. I’m just that kind of person.
My goal for this 10k was to jog the entire time. That almost happened, had I not gotten a hamstring cramp. Overall, I felt good. Challenged, hot, and thirsty yes, but good! I blasted my show tune power ballads in my ears, the ones that really get me going, and I did the dang thing. I forgot how big of a deal it was for different folks and organizations of the city to participate. I felt kinda silly showing up solo, running, getting an unripe banana, and going on my merry way.
Once the soreness wore off several days later, I decided I would train for a half marathon. It would only be about double the distance of the 10k, and I thought about how much easier it would feel if I actually trained for it. So that is where I am now. I picked a distance to train for (13.1 miles), found a simple training plan online, and just started. Without having to ask him, my partner decided he wanted to train with me, and he is loving it too! We aren’t super concerned about the race that we picked – that’s more of a milestone to put on the calendar, and to have the experience of running with other people. I know it sounds cliche, but we are more focused on the journey of getting ever-so-slightly faster, stronger, and more at ease through our runs.
I know every once in a while, we hear of a person who just decides to run a marathon without training for it. That’s pretty amazing, but my goal is to commit myself to training consistently, and to have sustainable activity for my physical health and longevity.
My adventure as a new runner happened pretty organically. It fits into my lifestyle at this time, and I like having something to be proud of myself for.
If you have something inside of you that is nudging you to try running (or anything for that matter), then I say just go for it! Don’t take it too seriously. As I tell my kids in my dance classes, you at least have to try.
Stay tuned for more noob running adventures! Does anyone say that anymore?? Noob???
Hi! I’m Taylor-Leigh. I am a millennial caregiver, a dancer, a plant-eater, and an overall Jill of all trades. I love writing and sharing my stories with others. Thank you for being here!