A once hated chore, now turned into a favorite hobby
I have dreaded running since I was a little girl. To me, it was unbearable, and I was not too fond of the feeling of not being able to breathe. I was forced into the sport of track in the fifth grade and stuck it out for years because it was what all my friends were doing. However, I was miserable, and every time I stepped up to compete, I wanted to cry on the inside. Flash forward to now, and running is one of my favorite things to do. So what changed?
I stopped running for time and started running for distance. The idea of running for time feels like I am running to compete rather than running for fun. I decided to eliminate this feeling of competition that I dreaded so much when I was younger and practiced running at a pace that wasn’t looked at as fast. Mentally, running at a slower pace drives me to run further because I feel like I am not overworking my body to a point where I can’t keep going.
I set a goal to look forward to and push me in my runs. At the end of my sophomore year of college,I started to dread running again and knew I needed to put a goal in place to motivate myself and enjoy my runs. That goal was running the Madison Half Marathon. Although my training was not as extensive as others, I pushed myself to go on long runs of 10+ miles and build my stamina for long distances. I am running the Madison Half Marathon this weekend, which I would have never imagined myself being capable of. This goal has made me happy to run, and I suggest making your own goal if you are starting to run.
I started running to clear my head and organize my thoughts. When I started running, all I could think about was not being able to breathe. The more often I did it and practiced my breathing technique, I was able to concentrate on other things. Specifically, I started using my time running to organize my thoughts that may have felt overwhelming in the previous days. Other times, I use running to get away from my thoughts and focus on the scenery or the wind blowing against me instead. Running can be your time to dive deep into your thoughts, or it can be just the escape you need.
Running holds a special place in my life. It hurts to think about how miserable I was running when I was younger because I was doing it for others, not myself. Running is what you make out of it and what feels comfortable to you may not be the same for others. I recommend running to everyone if you want to find a new source of meditation, reach a new goal, or retry this exercise from the beginning as I did. You can do it!