How I Learned to Enjoy Running
Let’s just start this out by saying I’ve never been the most athletic person. When I was younger, I enjoyed running around as part of a game, but running on its own was never enticing to me. I think that all of the energy you have when you’re a child was just carrying me through when I played games like tag or capture the flag with my friends. My parents put me in sports to make sure I got a chance to try everything to find the sport I liked best, but in the end, not many of them were for me. I did love cheerleading though, which my parents say they signed me up for after they noticed I would rather sit on the sidelines in my soccer games and cheer for the team instead of playing the game (LOL). When necessary though, like at summer camp or hanging out with my friends, I would willingly run. So, bottom line is, I was able to run when it was fun, but never really equated running to being fun.
In high school, I played on the tennis team, which practiced after school each day. Our practices often included physical conditioning, usually in the form of court drills or running - the dreaded activity that I had always avoided at all costs throughout school gym class. Even on the physical fitness tests where we were required to run a mile, I often walked or jogged it with my friends because I really hated running. It was difficult and tiring, and even after many runs with the tennis team, I still didn’t enjoy it.
Up until now, I had never willingly run more than a mile (or honestly even a mile, if we are saying that it was done at my own free will). I never saw a point in running and felt it was always just a difficult activity that physically and mentally I never could understand. This summer, however, I felt that I was in desperate need of some physical activity (I know this past year everyone has been fairly sedentary) and for some strange reason, I felt compelled to go for a run. This was the first time I had run in quite some time, and I figured I probably wouldn’t make it even a quarter-mile. To my surprise, after one lap around the track, I was still feeling okay, so, I just kept going. After lap two I was getting a little tired, but decided to keep going. Finally, I had made it three laps around the track and was feeling exhausted. I decided to stop there before I pushed too far, but I ended up running three-quarters of a mile. To most people, that wouldn’t seem like much of an accomplishment, but to me, that was amazing. I hadn’t run in so long, and honestly, I’m not sure if I had ever run that far on my own. A little fire was lit within me then, and I thought to myself that if I could do that, then what is stopping me from trying again and going further?
Self-confidence has always been difficult for me, but this new challenge I have given myself has been such a great exercise in self-assurance. With every run and every new distance, I feel so proud of myself for believing that I could do it and that I can continue to get better. At the moment I can run a distance of three miles, which may be a small number, but it is a number that I am so proud of. I hope to run a 5k this fall, and continue to run throughout the year as much as possible so that I can build up my distance.
Even when it feels physically difficult, I try my hardest to push through it so that I can do even better the next time. For me, the mental aspect of running has been just as hard as the physical component, but once I pushed past my self-doubt, I was able to grow and achieve things I never thought I would achieve. In the end, it all may seem small when compared to other people’s accomplishments, but you should not be comparing your accomplishments to someone else’s - that will always leave you upset. Instead, your personal accomplishments should be seen as a stand-alone feat - an achievement all your own. You did it all on your own, and no one else should be able to take that feeling of triumph away from you. Believe in yourself, all successes should be celebrated, no matter how small you may think they are - no achievement is trivial.
