The Day When Running No Longer Scared Me

Running. Run. Ran.

These are all used to be dirty words to me. Why on Earth would anyone willingly subject themselves to being out breath, sweating like a sinner in church, and doing the world’s most boring form of exercise? It just didn’t make sense to me.  I used to joke that if a zombie apocalypse should happen I wouldn’t even bother trying to outrun them.

“I’ll just hope and pray they eat me quick,” I used to say to my friends.

So with all that being said, why am I now adding running to my daily routine?

For everyone that doesn’t know (which is probably everyone), my role at Laurel House partly consists of playing the liaison between Laurel House and third party events. Some of the events involve bake sales, special shop for a cause nights, and other special events. So when the township approached Laurel House about their Celebration 5k who had to get involved? This girl.

So on the morning of July 4th there I was at the Norristown Farm Park  at 7:30 a.m. helping the run coordinators by standing along the path to direct runners. I really didn’t know what to expect. I had never actually witnessed a 5k or any race in real life. For me fitness began and ended in the gym. So there was no need to actually do any running outside.

As I stood there waiting watching the runners make their way towards me I became very fixated. I expected to see the He-mans and She-Ras of the world running without so much as breaking a sweat. But I didn’t. Instead I saw average people!  Some fast and some not. Some in great shape and some slightly out of shape. Some young and some old. Some running and some…power walking!  

It completely blew my mind that in a 5k it was okay to not run the whole thing!  It was okay if I couldn’t run the whole race! What really caught my attention was watching a group of young women running/walking together and cheering each other on. They were a group of African American young ladies with shirts that read “Black Girls Run.” I must admit I was intrigued. It was at that point that I decided this was something that I wanted to try. With the right motivation and training maybe, just maybe, I too could be a runner.

That evening I went home and hopped on my computer to research more about running and the group I had seen. It turns out they were a local group and they welcomed all experience levels! I also made it a vow that by the fall, I would be out there running Laurel House’s 5k Dash Against Domestic Violence.

So here I am, four weeks later, running with that same of group of ladies I saw, twice a week.  In just about four weeks, I managed to be able to run almost four minutes straight in between power walking. We usually aim for about three miles in our runs. We run on the street, up hills, in the park, where ever.  I feel myself growing more confident and stronger in each run. I now see why people enjoy running. It’s a chance to really push yourself and prove you’re stronger than you know. A gym can only give you so much. Being out there in nature really pushing yourself well, it’s hard to describe. But when it’s all said and done, the end feeling is euphoria.

Come this October expect me to be out there running our 5k Dash.  I more than likely won’t be the fastest, but I’ll be giving it my all! Care to join me? See you on the path!

For more information on Laurel House’s upcoming 5k Dash Against Domestic Violence please visit: http://www.laurel-house.org/how-to-help/events/5k-dash .

For more information on Laurel House please visit: http://www.laurel-house.org/