When I started running (keeping in mind, I’m talking a few weeks ago, nothing crazy compared to a lot of people on here) I decided I would carry with me the mentality of “if you don’t like it, you can stop”. Being as in touch with my psyche as I am (my self talk game is STRONG), having this thought allowed myself to go through the motions of what my body was experiencing, and there was no pressure to push myself if I didn’t want to.
My first run (not my first ever, but first of late) I told myself I would walk a lamp post, jog a lamp post and repeat until I had completed the easy flat lap around the park near my house. It was achievable, and because I wasn’t beating myself up in my head, I even found myself being able to jog a couple of lamp posts at a time. In total, I think I ran/walked about 2.5km that day, and I was really pleased with myself, not necessarily for the speed/distance I had run, but because I had physically gotten myself up out of bed and dragged myself out running. I held onto that feeling of having achieved something I previously thought I couldn’t and for the rest of the day, I felt brilliant.
And so began my journey of exploring how far my body could go; no pressure, allowing myself to stop anytime I wanted to. It actually worked, because (touch wood) I haven’t wanted to stop yet! I was thrilled to discover I was quite able to run 5km (first time running 3km, walking .5km, running 1.5km), and with my new found motivation and love for this hobby, I decided I would enter a local off-road 5km race. The location was in the forest and I was really excited just to get out and explore (whilst running).
Let me tell you, I copped SO MUCH FLACK from my family and friends. “But why?! You hate running!” “Hahahahahah yeah right, Kate, I’ll believe that when I see it.” It didn’t bother me as much as I was expecting it to, because at this point I was surprising myself more than anything. But I went out and I completed my 5k fun race, crossing the finish line faster than I could have imagined I would have. While I was running, there was a constant stream of thought in my head that was truly amazed with what I was accomplishing. Again, I had set out to run this race with the same mentality as I had come to know; I didn’t have to go fast, I just had to finish, no matter how slow I went. Despite this, I managed to run the whole way, which was just the icing on the cake!
I loved the feeling of crossing the finish line and getting my finishers medal. Having been a competitive equestrian, lacrosse and netball player, the idea of running in a race against other people was a totally foreign concept, but the whole atmosphere was buzzing and I found myself sitting around talking to total strangers and watching other racers finish for the rest of the day. The goody bag we got was also a massive plus! (I’ve never been given anything for entering a competition before!)
I’ve heard other runners talk about how they became “hooked” on the sport, and while I’m not sure this is a lifelong passion for me (how can you even tell that anyway?) the idea of running and getting faster and stronger is SO exciting and I am absolutely loving this journey so far.
A part of me still can’t believe it!
