I've been contemplating creating my own blog, mostly about my half marathon training and Caveman workouts. Hence, the blog name "My Life as I Move". But part of me was kind of like, who cares about what I do for my workouts? Nobody cares that I'm running. What are you thinking Kena?!?! But after the life altering experience that I had yesterday (completing my first half marathon), I decided to share it. If I could touch one person and inspire them to make a change in their life, begin making healthy choices, to convince someone that they are worth taking the time out of their day to take care of themselves and not everybody else, THEN this whole blog would be worth it.
I began running back in October 2011. It had been a hard year for me. I lost the friendship and sisterhood of someone whom I loved very much. She didn't pass away, our friendship just fell apart but it had felt like she had died. Not only that, she had a son who I adored and loved like my own since the day he was born. It was a double whammy!! I'll spare you guys the drama of the details of the situation.....I essentially had been grieving for months. Although I kept a strong face about it to those around me, inside- it truly devastated me. I decided out of the blue, "Hey! I wanna run a 5k! I want to do something for myself to get out of this funk!" got online and searched for local races. Low and behold, there was a race exactly a week away: The Tyler Rose Marathon, Half and 5k.
Now, most people usually put some thought into 5k training. There are so many apps like Couch to 5k that usually get you into running shape within 9 weeks but ...Noooo I was all just like, "I'm somewhat in shape, young, and healthy for the most part, It'll be fine!" Let's just say, I finished the 5k and could barely move the rest of the day. But it was too late, I was hooked. I still had so much to learn about running and all that it entails.
Fast forward a little over one year: I had NINE 5k's under my belt and one 10k. I was no stranger to races. I was no stranger to stress fractures, ankle sprains, running digestive issues (TMI, I know), constantly poking holes in my socks, and NEVER having a pedicure last very long :( I had learned the difference between overpronation and underpronating, what shoes are best for me, what kind of foot striker I am and how to correctly breathe. Also, the horrible pain of shin splints and trying to tackle on more mileage than you are ready for. I also learned that your chiropractor is your friend. Oh! And a foam roller will become your best friend for life!
But I had also learned that I loved the feel of the pavement under my feet, the sun on my face, the marvels of nature and it's beauty buzzing in the air around me as I took one stride, then another. It was time out of my day that I took for ME. I could use it to clear my head or work through issues-it became a type of self therapy. With every step that I took, I ran farther from my problem, made it seem trival, insignificant. All that, along with all the sweat and heavy panting, came a glorious runner's high at the completion of a race, the amazing sense of accomplishment that my body had just pushed through. I had never felt better in my life. I was strong and fit. Alot of it I attributed to my running, the other attributed to this insane Caveman training I started doing back in April '12. Now THAT is for another blog for another day! ;)
In my talks with other runners, it's amazing to hear the reasons why people run. Some people may want to loose weight, to be healthier, run just because they can or like me, use it as a therapy. Then there are those with crazy inspirational survival stories, beating death, saying "eff you cancer!" or other health-related issues. It doesn't matter what the catalyst is that you use, to make that change. To make that change to become a better you. You do it for yourself, for your family, for the people that love you. So you can ensure that you will be around and be the best you that you can be for them. And it doesn't matter if you walk at first, run slow or fast, each step that you take is a step forward-a step in the right direction. It's not easy, it's not supposed to be or they wouldn't call it 'working out'.
Now, in an effort to keep this already freakin' long blog post short, I will post my half marathon story in the next few days. But in the meantime, I want you to contemplate what it is that you could do for yourself to change your life. It could be something small, insignificant...that would lead to a blossoming of something greater than you could have ever imagined. I may have lost the friendship of my soul sister and to this day, we no longer communicate. I grieved that loss, but I am thankful that in that darkness, I gained something unexplainable in my life--which I will do my best to explain to you readers here on my blog. I hope that everyone in this lifetime, can find something magically unexplainable that they can cherish.
No comments:
Post a Comment