You’ve seen them. The runners who make it all seem so effortless. They are just cruising along with a spring in their step, barely breaking a sweat, ponytails swinging, their lean bodies decked out in colorful workout gear. And then there is me. I carry a few extra pounds, my face looks like it’s on fire when I’m running, my clothes are drenched in sweat, my hair is all over the place; in short I look like a mess. But, chances are, I feel amazing.
I haven’t always been in love with running. In fact, until earlier this year, our relationship had been rocky at best; there were definitely more bad times than good, and we’d taken too many breaks to count. Yet, for some reason, I could never truly let go. I did a few 5k races, a 10k, and walked a half-marathon. But I still wasn’t satisfied, and I knew I wouldn’t be until I ran a half-marathon. And so, I applied for the New York City Half-Marathon. NYC is one of my favorite cities in the world and I’ll take any excuse to go, including having to run 13.1 miles! When I actually got in, I knew it was meant to be and I fully committed to training.
My perspective on running changed completely over the course of those three months. I realized that the reason I had gotten so frustrated with running in the past was because I was constantly comparing myself to others. I am not a fast runner, hence the name of my blog, Jogging on Coffee. For too long, I thought that meant I wasn’t good enough to be a runner. Training for that half-marathon taught me to approach running in such a way that made me feel proud and accomplished. It’s hard to explain how great it felt to cross that finish line and get that medal. Regardless of how long it took me, I had finally achieved my goal!
I enjoyed the experience of training for and running my first half-marathon so much that not long after I signed up for 3 more. I ran my second one in Reykjavik, Iceland in August, and I’m registered for the Army Run in my home-town of Ottawa in September, and Run to the Beat UK in London in October! I have a passion for traveling and it was so great to mix that with running in Iceland so I’m really looking forward to doing that again, and I hope to make it a regular thing in the future.
I’d love for you to come on over and check out my blog! You can also find on me on Twitter and Pinterest.
About Guest Contributor
So glad your perspective has/is changing girl and that you’re in a good place. I always tell myself (and try to make it stick, lol)…just run for ME. Who cares about anything else…as long as you’re fulfilled from it and enjoy it…that’s all that should matter. :) Runners come in all shapes/sizes/speeds/etc. So excited for you for your NYC 1/2!