Running Saved Me

I’ve never been a runner. In fact, to say that I hated long distance running would be an understatement. So, why I decided that I would start running is beyond me. I know why I started, actually. Running is something you can do and take your baby with you. So, maybe my son saved me.

As a new mom who had just moved to a new town, saying I was going through a little bit of a slump was probably an understatement. I didn’t have many friends, I was far away from my family and I had this new life that I was responsible for. I was still carrying around all that baby weight. If you are already struggling in life, not feeling good about your body is no way to get over it.

I really wanted to lose the weight, but I just couldn’t stand to leave munchkin in the nursery at the gym. I couldn’t enjoy working out when I was worrying about him the entire time. So, I thought, why not just go for walks in the neighborhood. Before I knew it those walks turned in to jogs and those jogs turned in to half marathon training.

I say running saved me because it changed my life. Running gave me so much confidence. Running helped me prove to myself that I am much more than just “mom” or “wife”. Running made me a better mom and wife. It showed me that I really can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. I felt like myself again. A new, better self.

Moms tend to always put everyone else first.  As a new mom, I think my biggest mistake was trying to take care of everyone at the expense of not taking care of myself. My health and well being was at the bottom of my “To Do” list.
Running was my way to not only take care of myself physically, but mentally as well. Many runners say that they can solve the world’s problems during a good run and that’s true. Sometimes I just solve the problem of what we are going to have for dinner that night or planning my schedule for the day. Sometimes I don’t think about anything- I just run. It’s just nice to have some alone time.

As you can see, I have fallen in love with running. I need running in my life. All that passion is what motivated me to start blogging. I love to write try and help motivate others to get out there and move. We all need an extra push some days.  I hope you will join me over at Run. Stretch. Repeat. as I continue my love affair with running and all things healthy.