August 26th, 2013
Running For My Life (A Challenge And A Lesson)
Don’t fall over in your seat or anything, but I’ve been running lately.
Which might not seem like that big a deal to most of you, but to me, it’s colossal.
I’ve always hated running. Like with a passion.
I think the best time for the mile I’ve ever gotten was 12 minutes. And that’s when I was 11 years old.
I hate running so much that in high school, I used to beg my mom to write a note saying I didn’t have to run the weekly mile on Fridays.
(Ironically this was named the “Friday Fun Run.” Psssssh—as if there was ANYTHING fun about it.)
But I’ve been doing this running thing lately. Mostly because I got dared to.
My nail chick said she’s been running 6 miles regularly. And she was like, “I bet you could do it.”
And I was all, “Not in a million freakin’ years!”
And then she was like, “Yeah, just start off with 2 miles and then bump it up. You can do it. I know it for a fact.”
Challenge. On.
The next day, I set out to run two miles. At a time. Which is two more than I’ve run in about two years.
And I did it. And it felt good.
And I wanted to quit at about 0.2 miles in, but I didn’t. I kept going because gosh darnit…I had to report back that I could do it.
Once I hit two miles, I couldn’t believe it. I was proud. I was sweaty. I felt good.
Not a huge accomplishment for some, but for me it was a big deal.
So then I decided to do it 20 more times for the rest of the month.
(I mean…why not…I like having goals.)
And as I’ve been embarking on this running journey, I’ve realized a few things.
1) Each and every run is a challenge. Each first mile, I want to quit. It hurts, I’m uncomfortable, I’m bored, I’m annoyed. But after I reach that mile mark, the second one is easier.
2) Each and every run has at least ten moments where I say to myself, “I should just start walking, this sucks, screw it.” And each and every time I have to counter that voice with another one, saying, “Keep it going girl, you can do this.”
3) It’s like each run is a very physical and tangible manifestation of what happens in life all the time….things feel hard, we want to quit, we don’t think we can make, but if we don’t quit, and we DO keep going, it feels awesome and we can accomplish things we never thought possible.
I like running for this reason. It’s a physical reminder to keep going.
And this is LIFE.
Life is challenging. Hills arise. We get tired, sweaty, want to give up. It’s annoying and frustrating. But in order to get the result, we have to KEEP GOING.
Especially in those moments we want to give up. Because those are the moments that actually create change in our lives.
It’s not the easy times that grow us. It’s the times that we need to look in the mirror and say, “YOU CAN DO THIS” and, “Keep it going girl.”
We don’t always have this counter voice in our heads.
(I know for me, the “It’s ok…give up” voice has been much more prominent throughout my life.)
And this is the exact reason I created the Wildheart Revolution.
To be the “YOU CAN DO THIS” voice instead.
For you. . . for me. . . for all of us who have a dream and don’t want to quit ourselves.
To be the “Keep going!” and “You got this girl!” voice when you feel down in the dirt
and unable to get up.
To be your virtual best friend, positive nudge, warm hug.
And to remind you that you CAN do whatever you decide to do if you just keep it going.
As of this moment, the Wildheart Revolution is made up of 60 amazing, dynamic, smart, fun, sassy women.
(Wooooo hoooo!!!!)
What is being created in there already is blowing my mind.
And you know what? We’re growing every day.
Because the list of “You can do it!”s isn’t getting shorter any time soon.
And the need for a heaping dose of loving support is as urgent as ever.
So what do you say? Wanna be in the gang of trailblazers creating amazing things in the world?
Wanna run for your life?
Registration to the Revolution is open. The runners are on the trail.
If you get your hot booty in there with us, chances are seriously good you’ll do things you never knew you could do.
See you there —yes? :)
The (encouraging!) voice inside your head,
Sally
P.S. I want to hear how YOU are running for your life. Even if you’re not literally RUNNING. In what ways have you stepped way outside your comfort zone and are trying new things? How has that affected you? Leave me a note in the comments below. I love hearing from you.
Dude, I literally just discovered this too. I used to fucking HATE running… Since like, forever. I think the way it was always slammed on us in school & stuff put me off, and I always hated P.E.
But today at the gym my trainer gave me a new program, in which my treadmill workout has some super short jogging involved… At first I was all ‘UH this is gonna suck’, but when I started doing it I actually liked it. SO WEIRD. But kind of awesome. I think it def helped having someone to push me a little too, otherwise I probs woulda copped out. haha.
HA! You crack me up and I’m the same way. If I don’t have someone cracking the whip (usually) I kind of cop out. I do well with outside structure. Which is why the time of my life I looked and felt the best was when I traded coaching for personal training. Woooooo!
Get it girl. We can be on this running train together. :)
I’m the elephant in the room. I AM a runner, and have been for years, with the assorted wear and tear on my body that my kind of exercise habits incur. As a matter of fact, I just completed a 10-knot (about 11.5 mile) run Sunday.
Near the end (somewhere within the last 3 miles or so), I encountered a girl who was literally crying she was in so much pain and wanted to quit. I ran beside her until she stopped at the water station and told her how much pain I’m in on a daily basis with my bad knees and other bodily wear and tear, but we paid money to be in this much pain, and if you’re gonna hurt, finish the damn race and make that pain worth something.
I used to wonder why races gave out “finisher” medals to everyone, not just the winners or top finishers in age groups until that day, when I was in more pain than I had ever been in a race before, and the big honkin’ hill at the end didn’t do me any favours, either, but I finished the race, and that was important to me.
I think I’ve been stepping outside of my zone for a while now, from being in a relationship for the first time in over a decade, to property ownership, to making the not-so-smart decision to spend money on expansion of my business, as opposed to trying to get everything in order first.
Now, I’m taking some steps backwards (VERY not comfortable with that), and trying to do some things I should have done a year or so ago.
It’s a rough time, but I’m just the kind of guy to do crazy things just for the challenge of being crazy.
Oh, and Sally? Feel free to make yourself at home with the other voices in my head!
Wow I LOVE THIS story and it resonated so much. Finishing is winning. No matter how long it takes us.
Your journey is courageous.
And…those other voices are pretty cool. We’re having a party in there. :)
I used to run all the time in sports, just run while listening to music or on the treadmill. Somewhere along the line, I stopped, and that’s when the magic stopped.
I started up this year in the butt dead cold of winter. I HAD to keep running to not freeze. Whatever it takes to stay motivated and keep MOVING, lol! Happy trails out there! ;)
Welcome to the Runner’s High Club ;) Love you!
If you could see me now!
Sally…. I’ve had this blood disease that causes more issues mentally and physically. Well last year my husband got me a brand new mongoose. Whoa now knowing how hard it was to get around as it was. . I swear mom time became my roll. I have a nice little park I live in with a river that runs along the entire back side. I took my bike I got on it and I rode about 15 blocks. Well ya know I think I was a little bit ahead of myself but I started to do night runs. …taking my vitamins. ..eating healthy. .. bam I get pregnant. .. I rode my bike til I could not anymore even though I should with a clotting disease which is more dangerous pregnant. . But I had to stop then I have Sophia sweet little Sophia. Looking at her little face and my other two tells me… “liz get your ass BACK on that bike” I know I won’t ever be super woman but I sure know how to put on the cape. Shit if I have to I’ll make one… ;)