The hardest part is starting. Once you get that out of the way, you’ll find the rest of the journey much easier.
Simon Sinek
I never really enjoyed running. I was a big kid who was always finishing last or near the back of the group. I played basketball, football, and tennis, but I saw running as a punishment. Once I was out of high school, I gained even more weight and was in the worst shape of my life. I went for a physical and weighed 246 lbs. I had every excuse in the book, such as genetics were the reason I was overweight, losing weight was impossible, and that it could be worse. However, I was very unhappy with myself and didn’t like what I saw in the mirror. I decided to make a significant change.
I started dieting and walking my dog twice a day around my neighborhood. I restricted my caloric intake to unhealthy levels though, with barely 1,000 calories a day. I lost 120 lbs. in a little under a year and went from overweight to underweight, going from one extreme to another. I was so scared that I would gain all of the weight back that I was almost neurotic about what I was eating.
I wanted to gain healthy weight and had decided that running might be able to help me. Running was not easy for me to begin with, as I could barely go 2 miles and was huffing while running and my legs felt like rubber. This was an eye-opener since I incorrectly thought that I was in good shape. However, I was feeling amazing every time I was finished, with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. Each run I was able to go a little further and eventually I was going double digit miles. The negative thing about this is I went to another extreme. I was running double digit miles every day with the occasional day off maybe once every two weeks. I started feeling pain in my knee but ignored it, which led to a stress fracture. This had happened three weeks before my half marathon and I thought if I rested it until then, I would be fine. It was stupid and I should have just withdrawn from the race. I ran it and my knee started killing me by mile 8. I pushed through and finished, but couldn’t walk for two days after. This taught me moderation and I have been running smarter since.
Running has given me more joy in life than I have had in a long time. It has taught me how far I can push my body, how strong I can make my mind, and how to run my own race at my own pace. It took me far too long to discover running in life, but I intend to keep it in my life for as long as I can.
Tough Runs Make Tough Runners 