Posted on Tuesday, 2nd March 2010 by Catherine

If you were to ask me, I probably would not say the words “I am a runner”…strange after 2 marathons, 2 half marathons and a handful of other events.  I am not built like a runner.  At 5’1″ my stride is very short and I have come to learn I am a bit injury prone.

For years and years I was a “walker”.  I walked and walked and walked.  Until one day in March of 2008 when a great friend told me she was going to train, raise money and run a half marathon for my son Mason. I wanted in on that. She found Team in Training and I have never looked back.

I have learned that running is such a individual activity. Some run so fast and for so long it blows my mind.  Others (like me) melt down at about mile 22 of a marathon.  Others alternate running with walking (which by the way is a great way to run a distance event). Many of you reading this don’t run at all. You may have a fear of running – like I once did. I used to say- “I don’t run; I walk”.  Why was that?  There was not really a reason just a brain block of sorts.

So 2 years ago I set out on my first run. I was apprehensive.  What will I look like running along the road?  Do I even know how to run?  Is there some book I should have read before I stepped outside of my house?  What about the tennis shoes I strapped on?  Were they the right shoes?

I had no idea how far I went.  It was exhilarating, challenging and liberating.  Compared to walking I was covering a lot more ground in a shorter amount of time.  This really plays to my impatient tendencies.

I knew we lived in a “hilly” area but WOW – I thought I was about to die along about the second hill.  I stopped and walked up most of it.  In the back of my mind I was thinking about the next time I ran and how I would set a goal to make it a bit farther up the hill before stopping and walking.  I was amazed that I already was thinking about my next run before I even finished my first run.

And then during the part of the run when I wanted to just be done along came a great song on my i-pod.  It motivated me to keep going and even move a bit faster toward my finish.

That week I ran a few more times.  I found I really liked it.  I found it took me to a place where I could loose my head and think about all sorts of things or think about nothing.  (truth be told, I usually think about TONS of stuff when I run).

So here I am two years later and many miles behind me.  I wonder, would I ever have taken up running if my friend had not decided to run a half marathon to honor Mason?  I don’t just run, I do lots of cross  training and other things but I find running challenges me (both mind and body) and I feel accomplished when I finish a good run.

I spoke to an old friend yesterday who said “I actually ran for two minutes on the treadmill and then I walked for a few then I ran again”  She was angry with her teen-aged daughter and found she had the “energy” to run because she was so frustrated.

I smiled to myself knowing that yesterday she would say “I don’t run” but perhaps in a few more months she will be in a different place and have found she actually does “run”.

Another friend of mine moved away from Colorado and from afar kept seeing a few of our FaceBook updates about running and the different races we were doing.  She signed up and trained for a 5K.  She had never run before. Last week I saw an update from her that she was doing a 5 mile race!  It is inspiring and exciting to watch people step out of their comfort zone and hit the treadmill or the pavement.

So I am curious – do you run?  Why or why not?  Please share and let me know I am not alone in this addiction of being a runner mommy.

Did you enjoy this post?  Please consider subscribing to the Shoe Box Daily – get more inspiration for your shoes delivered free to your e-mail or RSS.

This post is linked to Real Life – Your Life, Your Blog

Comments (13214http://www.theshoeboxdaily.com/2010/03/runner-mom/Runner+Mom%3F2010-03-02+14%3A45%3A08Catherine)