Make A Run For It...

I've always found that when you take on a challenge - new diet, new exercise regime, etc. the more people you share it with, the more likely you are to stick to it - the whole accountability thing :-)

Decision to run made, I found myself at our local Running Room store reading the brochure on the Learn to Run Clinic. I had heard that this program offers support, education and that it builds up your running gradually. This sounds reasonable - a veritable support group for newbie runners. I like that. As I start to look around I find this place intimidating. The racks are filled with (very small) running clothes and strange accoutrements - gels, bodyglide, nipple protectors? What kind of store is this???

I turn to go, clutching the brochure (damp now from my sweaty palm) but encounter a clerk (tall, slim - definitely a runner). I find out that the next clinic is a mere 10 days away...and I ask the dreaded question: Can I learn to run at age 45? He tells me that the oldest person to complete the Learn to Run program was a 78 year old woman…
78!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In an instant all my excuses and doubts seem ridiculous, and this nameless, faceless women (33 years my senior) instantly becomes an inspiration. So much so that when I return home I register for the Bluenose Marathon 5 km event – before I can change my mind…

Gotta go. I'm Running Late...Literally!

Running Out of Excuses...

The decision to undertake this (monumental) challenge was a difficult one. Although I love the gym and exercising, I have NEVER been a runner. EVER. In fact I used to dismiss running as being "too hard on your body". This is from the women who did hard-core, intense Kettlebell classes that left my entire forearms bruised (and I wore them proudly) and brought me to the edge of losing my lunch many, many times.

Running, in my head, has always been an unattainable goal. Something that others did - younger people, those with more physical & mental strength than I have. I think that as I saw runners run, I saw the end product - thin, athletic types, running full speed in the midday summer sun - no way, not for me, I thought. In retrospect, underneath it all, I was envious. To be able to pull on your running shoes, load up your favorite music and take off. No gym required - only the open road. When I took my graduate degree I became friends with three fabulous women who were runners. I used to listen to their stories - their tales of half marathons, running hills, and this almost global camaraderie among runners. I dismissed it as never being possible for me...

How could I possibly run with my foot problems? At that time I was about 2 years post-op fasciotomy and calcaneal spur removal & still suffered foot pain. Plantar fasciitis, extremely flat feet that pronate, and bilateral calcaneal spurs. That sums up the state of my feet...However, at the end of February, 2012 I threw caution to the wind and decided to just try it. If I did everything I could to mitigate the feet issues, then maybe, just maybe I could become a runner...better late than never...

Gotta go. I'm running late...literally!