My Running Moment: My First Run, Again

Note: This fall, the Ready, Set, Run! blog is featuring a series of guest posts called “My Running Moment: _______.” This series of personal submissions will allow guest writers to share their personal running stories, with the hope that their running stories will be a source of great encouragement to those who read this blog. If you are interested in contributing, please email Jeanne (jnielson@nays.org). 

 

My Running Moment: My First Run, Again

I started running consistently in 2008, when my husband and I got the completely wild notion that we were going to run the Chicago Marathon. I should point out that before that time, I had never been much of an athlete. In fact, I had pretty much failed at every sport I ever tried. Back to 2008. It was a truly crazy time in our lives. We were both working full time and in the middle of adopting our daughter. Our training was going fairly well, until I sprained my ankle on Christmas morning, which is a whole other story. With a bum ankle and winter, training came to a screeching halt. We never ran that marathon, but that was really the starting point for my love of running.

A year later, our adoption process was complete and my ankle was healed, but the training never picked up. I realized that I had to do something. So, I SLOWLY started running again, as well as adding in other workouts. This time, I had to balance that with being a mom. During the months that followed, I quickly learned that I loved the feeling that came after running (or working out) much more than not running.  I loved the “runner’s high” so much, that I started training and competing in triathlons. I wasn’t fast or winning any races, but I loved running and racing. I loved the challenge of running and adding up the miles. I loved finishing what I never thought I could.

In the fall of 2011, I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. With his birth, I looked forward being able to run again. However, I had significant complications with his birth, and wasn’t sure if I would ever be able to run again.

After months of physical therapy, weight lifting and patience, the day arrived when I felt like I could try running. I climbed on the treadmill, set my pace and started running. I was running! And, it felt amazing! That day, my first run after over a year of not running, felt magical. I only ran a mile, but I was running.

In the months that have followed that first run, I have been able to continue running, as well as train for triathlons again.  That run has also taught me to:

 

-                      Set goals. Whether they are big or small, having something to work towards gives such a sense of accomplishment when I reach it. I love being able to raise the bar higher and higher on what I hope to accomplish.

-                      Believe in yourself. Running is as much physical as it is mental. Believe that you can accomplish your goals and complete what you set out to do. If you tell yourself that you cannot do something, you won’t do it.

 

Happy Running!

Charity Cunningham

My Running Moment: Philadelphia 2011

Note: This fall, the Ready, Set, Run! blog  is featuring a series of guest posts called “My Running Moment: _______.” This series of personal submissions will allow guest writers to share their personal running stories, with the hope that their running stories will be a source of great encouragement to those who read this blog. If you are interested in contributing, please email Jeanne (jnielson@nays.org). 

My Running Moment: Philadelphia 2011

I love to run because for me running is an adventure!  Whether I’m running a new route around my neighborhood, in another state or in another country, I love the thrill and excitement that running brings when I can experience new things.  Traveling by plane, car or bike is great, but I feel like I really soak in the place when I’m on my own two feet running around – plus it’s a chance to feel like a kid again!

 

In training for a fall marathon I was able to experience the shifting of the seasons from a hot summer to the changing leaves and the cooler fall.  Some rain and snow mixed in along the way all helped to add to the adventure.  There’s nothing better than running along a tree lined path with that fall smell in the air and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet.  But most of all the Philadelphia Marathon highlighted the three biggest reasons why I love to run:

 

1. To go new places: as I mentioned, I like adventures and going to a brand new city to run a race is one of my favorites.  It’s so fun to run in a new city and take in the scenery and Philadelphia did not disappoint.  From running by the Art Institute where Rocky famously ran the steps, to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Philadelphia Zoo, along the Schuylkill River and more, the race course was full of things to see and cheering people along the way.  Plus, being fueled by some of Philly’s delicious fresh, homemade pasta from the market the night before, it was bound to be a great run!

2. To push myself: this marathon was the fastest time I have ran to date, but it was by far the most painful run as well.  My training was great and I was ready to go but it was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny day in late November and I was really starting to feel it already by mile 16.  However, having trained so hard and being on a good pace to finish, I pushed through mile by mile straining for the next water stop and finally the finish line.  I learned that day that the body is an amazing thing and can go much farther than I thought. I had run 4 marathons before this one, but on this day I was elated to know I truly gave it my best effort and had nothing left in the tank. 

3. To inspire others:  I love meeting new people at races; everyone has a great story of how they ended up there.  Best of all, at this race I got to stay with a friend who lives in the city and she came with me to see the race and cheer me on.  It was the first race she had ever been to and she was hooked – she loved cheering for all of the runners and the camaraderie of thousands of people pushing themselves and encouraging each other at the same time.  It’s pretty overwhelming to have 35,000 people running through the streets of Philadelphia at 7 am with smiles on their faces and nervous excitement in the air.  Since then she has been inspired to run herself…6 days a week for 3-4 miles at a time.  And she even likes it; amazing for someone who had never run regularly before.  Most people don’t think they can do it so they never try because they don’t want to fail.  But having someone they know taking a chance encourages them to step out of their comfort zone and try it as well.  As I found out, this was so rewarding for both her and me!  

There are so many reasons I run and too many memorable races to relive here.  I urge you to set a goal, find a race you want to sign up for and go for it; I guarantee you’ll have a great story to tell at the end of it all.  You will find out more about yourself than you ever thought and maybe even inspire some friends to come with you on the journey along the way.  Best of luck and happy running!

 

Nicole Calvin

healthy & active...together!

A lot of our blogs are about personal fitness – the importance of having a commitment as an individual to a life that is active, healthy, and balanced. And that'’s good! We all need to challenge ourselves toward greater levels of commitment, personally, in these areas. Health and active living won'’t just “happen.” We need to be going after it.

But, we want to remember, too, that one of the best ways to get into the good and healthy habits that make up an active lifestyle is to get there as a family. We don'’t do this alone; we shouldn'’t have to! A family can together make a decision to “set the tone” for what their family life will look like – either unhealthy and inactive, or something quite the opposite. Here are just a few suggestion to get you thinking about how your family can take some simple steps toward going after a healthy and active lifestyle together:

1. Watch less television.
It'’s great to have a few T.V. shows or sports teams that you watch together. But don'’t make family life all about the television. Limit it. Set parameters (on yourselves, too, parents!) for how often the television will be on during the day. Chances are, with the television turned off, you’re not going to spend all of your time sitting on the couch, with nothing to watch! Treat the TV. as a “special” treat, not as a constant presence.

2. Sit down and eat together – for as many meals as possible!
You'’ve all heard that the statistics point clearly to the healthy benefit of eating a few solid meals in a day, rather than unhealthy snacking all the time. One easy way to move in that direction is to sit down, gather around the table, and eat meals together.  Eat at the table, not “on the run,” or standing around in the kitchen. Make meal time family time, and limit the unhealthy snacking tendency.

3. Make your own fun.
Parents (and kids!): get creative. Make a decision to do something together that you haven'’t tried before. Go to the gym all together, and play basketball. Take a jog/walk as a family in the park. Go on a bike ride. Explore a forest preserve, or walk around a lake together. A key part of making new habits as a family will be breaking the old ones (especially if they include sitting around watching T.V. every evening). Make a drastic change, and do something fun and active – together.

4. Start habits early.
If you'’re a parent of young children, you have a major advantage! You can start now, so that your kids grow up being used to a family that eats healthy, stays active, and does both exercise and fun activities together. When the weather is warm, make a family tradition out of an after-dinner walk. In the winter, head to your local gym every Saturday morning together, or go for a hike in the woods. It'’s easier to set the course now, then change it later!

Doing this together as a family is only going to strengthen your individual resolve to eat healthy, stay active, and live well. So, next time you find yourselves standing around and snacking before an evening of several hours planted in front of the television… -reconsider! Sit down as a family. Look each other in the eye and talk. And then head out to do something active and fun together.