My Running Moment: After Sports

Note: This fall, the Ready, Set, Run! blog has featured a series of guest posts called “My Running Moment: _______.” This series of personal submissions has allowed 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: After Sports

I liked basketball. OK, I loved basketball. And, I still do. But, unfortunately, I’m now “on the other side” of the peak of my basketball career…if you can even call it that. I played through high school and, while I wasn’t a Division I talent, was fortunate enough to play college basketball at the Division III level. I loved every minute of it, and tried my best to get the most out of my talent. They were great years!
 

Then, after 4 years of college basketball, all of a sudden it was over. Just like that…no more games, no more fans cheering, and no more grueling practices with teammates. While I still like to play hoops now and then, it will never be like it was back then. So, basketball became something in my life – a place of exercise, physical exertion, and fun – that needed to be replaced with something else.
 

As a basketball player, I never thought of myself as a “runner,” or even a person who thought much about personal health and fitness. Even though I ran countless sprints in practice, I never really thought of basketball as “running.” When I stopped playing, though, I began to realize how much I liked just being active. How good it made me feel to run – to exercise in a regular way. And so, I did something I never thought I’d do: I started running. Not a lot, and not necessarily every day. But…running. Just for fun.
 

Running has now, more and more, become a normal part of my life – something that I do for exercise, health, and pure enjoyment. I try to run 2-3 times a week, often pushing my little girl in her jogging stroller. I’ve even run a marathon with my (more serious runner!) wife! While I probably won’t ever play basketball again in front of thousands of fans, I’m thankful that regular exercise and healthy living haven’t disappeared from my life. I can always run. And I hope I’ll be running for many years to come.


-Jon

My Running Moment: Began as a Child

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: Began as a Child

My running moment began as a child. Growing up, being active and exercising was part of my daily routine. My dad is a high school football coach and athletic director, so going to sporting events every night was my life. Being active was really not an option. My first memories of "running" were with my mom - as a rider first, in a jogger, and later on as a runner. We spent endless hours as a family running and walking around the track while Dad finished up with practice.
 

My mom devoted the majority of her life to raising her children. I am the second of four kids and I am so thankful for the example my parents gave of what a family should look like. Some of my greatest memories as a kid were in my mom’s jogging stroller for hours as she ran. As I got older, those runs turned into bike rides, and eventually running next to her. Over the years, these runs/walks have been filled with conversations that I am forever grateful for now as an adult.
 

However, I will say I never have considered myself a runner. Thanks to my sister-in-law, my runs have become a lot more regular as we recently ran a marathon together. But, if I had to sum up one single running moment it would be very hard. I would have to say it has, more or less, been a life spent thankful for the example set for me at an early age that exercise is important and can be enjoyed as a gift.
 

Currently, running is my release. Working full time and being a wife feels like enough responsibility for now. Running is a reason to put everything aside and just get away to think, chat with a friend, or just go.
 

Not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the blessing it is for me to be able to run and enjoy being outside!  Running has always been part of my life and I hope will continue to be something I can enjoy for many years to come.

Lyndee Biles Nielson

nyc marathon & Sandy

I have been blessed to enjoy (or mostly enjoy) running several different marathons so far in my life. Let me tell you, those marathons were a BIG deal to me. I trained for them faithfully and consistently. I had the marathon date circled on my calendar - months before it actually came. Friends trained with me and came to support me during the races. The marathon - both the training for it and the actual race - occupied a lot of "space" in my life. And that was a good thing!

Still, there are days when we all need to remember that running is not just about...running. It's about life. There's a danger in anything we love - a danger that it will become an obsession, and not just a wonderful part of life that we enjoy and cherish with friends. The marathons I have run have played a big part in my life, but they do not DEFINE my life. My life is not defined by running any more than it is defined by food, entertainment, or a nice pair of shoes! Running and other forms of exercise are meant to ENRICH our lives, not become an obsession that takes away from living life with people we love.

Last weekend, the city of New York made a statement along these same lines. They did something that would have been unthinkable, even a month ago: they cancelled the New York City Marathon. In light of the damage, destruction, and suffering caused by Hurricane Sandy, they decided to prioritize in a different direction than a race. People, money, other resources - these should, at least on this week, be directed primarily to help those who have lost so much in the past few days. New York City, as much at is loves its marathon, made a statement that it cares about people even more. It's not just about running. Running isn't just about running. It's about life.