My running adventure started nearly 10 years ago. Our fourth baby was just a couple of weeks old and I wanted to lose the baby weight asap. I hated exercise and didn’t even own a pair of athletic shoes. I probably would have told you I was allergic to sweat, and I had never run an entire mile at one time in my life. I thought people who liked running were crazy.

One Saturday afternoon I mentioned to my husband that it might be fun if I trained with him for an upcoming 10 mile race he was doing. I thought he’d tell me I was crazy, but instead, he said, “Great, we’ll start today.” That was NOT the response I expected (or wanted) from him.

Later that afternoon, after a stop to buy some runnng shoes, we loaded all the kids in the minivan and drove a couple of miles to one of his favorite running routes. He parked and told me I should be able to run a mile with no problem. (To this day I’m still not sure what he was thinking when he told me that. He is a far more athletic person than I am, and to him running a mile was nothing). And, he also gave me one of the best pieces of running advice I’ve ever gotten. He said, “No matter what, just cover the distance.” In other words, I didn’t have to run the whole thing to be successful; I just had to cover the distance.” I still use that advice in both training runs and races to this day.

As I climbed out of our minivan he pointed down the street and told me to run to the first stop light and then run back. It was a half mile there and a half mile back. I left the van and started running….I made it about 10 steps before I was out of breath and couldn’t run any farther. I walked for a bit and then ran a little more. I continued my walk a lot/run a little pattern until I finally made it to the stop light. Was that really only a half mile? It felt like at least 5 miles. And I had to go all the way back? I trudge the half mile back to the waiting van and thought I was going to die by the time I got there. That was it. I officially HATED running. I was NEVER going to do that again. And yet, I’d set a goal for myself to run that 10 mile race. It nagged at me. I asked my husband to write out a training plan for me. I went back out the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. Each day I focused on running just a little farther than the day before until finally a few weeks later I ran a whole mile. I’ll never forget that feeling of accomplishment. Gradually, I worked up to 8 miles.

Finally, it was race day. As I pinned the bib to my shirt, it seemed so surreal. I wasn’t a runner, and yet that bib said something different. Maybe I could actaully do this? It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, and it required more gut determination than I ever knew I had. But I finished! I was one of the last to cross the finish line at that race, but I didn’t care. I finished and that was all that mattered. And the moment I crossed that finish line I knew I was hooked.

This picture was taken right after that first race. I got lost on the course, so there’s no telling how far I actually ran.

Since that day I’ve run a lot of other races. I’m still not fast. In fact, I often finish near the back of the pack, but that’s not the point. Running has taught me that I can do so much more than I ever thought possible if I just set my mind to it and Run Determined.

So what are you waiting for?