I haven’t always been like this. In fact, for most of my life, I had a love/hate relationship with running. Growing up, I never liked it unless it was in a friendly neighborhood game of manhunt or playing flag football at school. Either way, I would only do it and enjoy it if someone was chasing me and I had to escape—I would never just go for a run around the block. Boy, have things changed!
It wasn’t until my senior year of high school in 2017 when I got the motivation to start running. I was training for a long trek through the Andes Mountains in Peru, where the altitude differences are intense. My coaches and instructors told me that the best way to prepare was to run. So, that’s exactly what I did! I went from hardly being able to run a mile to completing my first 5k to running five miles without stopping, all before the trip. Every time I reached a new distance, I felt ecstatic, and the altitude didn’t affect me nearly as badly in Peru since I did all this training.
After Peru, I went to college, and life got busy, so my running came to a halt. Sometimes I would jump on a treadmill just to see if I could still pump out a mile or so, or maybe even a 5k if I felt good. At one point, I even signed up for a half marathon, expecting it to give me some incentive to train, but that never happened. Nevertheless, I wasn’t doing much with running, and I could see the progress I had built up start to dwindle. I couldn’t stay away for too long, though. In the spring semester of my junior year, the fire inside me to run was relit all over again!
One morning at work, I overheard a coworker talking about running a 5k that weekend and was intrigued. After not even a two-minute conversation, I signed up to attend it that Saturday at 8 a.m. It could have been pure adrenaline or simply mind over matter, but I was able to finish it without stopping in a little over 30 minutes after not running for five months! That moment was when I realized that I didn’t want to ever truly stop running again.
That wasn’t easy for me until just before the end of 2020. With time, dedication and frequent runs, I was able to get comfortable enough with three miles to the point that it became my go-to distance. I was no longer running a mile every day; I was running three! The craziest part? I loved it. After every single run, I felt like a brand new person with a fresh perspective; I even looked forward to it when I woke up in the morning. In fact, the days I couldn’t run were the days I dreaded and often felt cranky. Not only did I just enjoy running, but it became an outlet for me. I would put in my headphones, listen to my music and forget about things for just three miles.
This past winter break, I had a revelation and asked myself, “Why are you stopping at three miles? Why aren’t you striving for more?” I had doubted myself and my ability to run farther than three miles until one day, everything changed. I realized I had already reached three miles in the middle of my run but felt so, so good and felt like I could do more. So I did—I ran six miles nonstop! It was the farthest I had ever run in my life. I had surpassed the five miles I did in high school and was now running six at a much faster pace. I felt so ecstatic, and more importantly, proud of myself. I had just done something I really thought I could never do! “So, what else can I do if I put my mind to it?” I asked myself.
Within a week and a half after that, I was at eight miles nonstop. Then, after that, 10 miles. In between these super long runs, I ran around three to six miles every day or every other day. I felt like a running machine that couldn’t be stopped! I signed up for another half marathon after the big 10-mile run and was ready for it because I had trained hard for it this time. After reading articles and talking to those who have done it before me, I knew if I could run 10, I could run 13.1. Unfortunately, like almost every other event in the nation, it was postponed until fall due to the ongoing pandemic.
Although I was really disappointed, I feel like it may have been a blessing in disguise. In the meantime, I have been getting more comfortable with longer distances. I have reached a point where running five miles every day isn’t difficult for me at all. That has become my new relatively easy, go-to distance run, and I’m certain six miles is next! Seeing the progress is one of my favorite parts about this cardio hobby of mine. Every time I thought I couldn’t do it, I did. While the process isn’t linear, and there are slow days, the highs after a great run are absolutely unmatched and something I wouldn’t trade for the world. Running and I are going to be in it together for the long haul!
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