How I became a Runner

     I thought I'd take a moment to explain how a die-hard running hater wound up on a journey to a marathon. And I mean a real marathon. Not the type you see advertised on television, "All Day Saturday! Catch up on your favorite show! It's an all day marathon!" I mean a marathon consisting of running 26.2 miles.

     I was sitting in our family room with my infant son. It was the wee hours of the morning and I had finally given up the hope that he would go back to sleep. I signaled my surrender by turning on the television and was met with an ever present infomercial. Seeing as there wasn't much else on and I was too sleepy to expend the energy pushing the channel button on my remote control, I watched. It was full of a lot of happy people talking about the benefits of pilates. I had a bunch of baby weight still sitting on my bones and heard my once skinny pre-baby self-image tell me to listen up. At first my sleep deprived body resisted. "I'm too tired for any workout," it protested.
     "Nonsense!" was the response. "Look at what they are doing". So I looked. And lo and behold what I saw was every tired new mother's dream. They...were...lying...down! Now this was a workout I could get into. The sleepy fog lifted as excitement began to pulse through my veins. "I can get skinny lying down in my pajamas!" I picked up the phone, dialed the number, spoke to the representative, and ordered my miracle weight loss workout.

     It was a couple weeks later when my pilates dvd's arrived in the mail. The next day I excitedly put one in the player, sat my son on the floor in his bouncy seat, and laid down beside him (and yes, I was in my jammies). I was ready! It's a sad moment when giddy optimism and self-delusion are crushed. Okay, I wasn't crushed but I did have a rude awakening. The first rude truth was that this wasn't an easy workout. The second rude truth was that pregnancy had taken my ab muscles and demolished them. They appeared to have been squished, stretched and pulled like play-dough in the hands of a two year old. I had a long way to go. Still, I reasoned, I was lying down, in my pajamas. If I made excuses not to do this exercise then how did I ever expect to do a workout that actually required putting on shoes? I stuck with it. And you know what? It got easier. I lost weight. I lost inches. Not enough to become "skinny me" again but enough that when I looked in the mirror I could at least recognize her face once more. I was content for the time being.

     Eventually,I began walking. The kids loved getting outside and so did I as long as the weather was nice but what to do in the rain and cold? I convinced my husband a treadmill would be a great investment. I had every intention of using it simply for walking but at some point there was a switch in my brain that got flipped. I can't recall exactly when it happened or even why but one day I upped the speed and found myself running. That day a runner was born. Eventually, I found myself longing to run when I had my son in his stroller at the trail. But it was one of those big and bulky strollers and not conducive to running. Once more, I approached my husband about another investment in my health - a jogging stroller. I do believe at this point he was checking under our bed for the pod the body snatcher left behind when it took over his wife's body. How many times had he heard me utter, "Running is stupid. Why would anyone want to run?" My husband enjoyed running and this change in his wife was interesting if not even a little inspiring so he gave me the go ahead. I trained for my first 5K with that jogging stroller. I used it while training for my first half-marathon. That stroller was proof that I had discovered the answer to my own original question, "Why would anyone want to run?"
     Anyone, or in this case me, had discovered the joy that comes from shedding my pajamas, putting on my running gear, lacing up my shoes and pushing my legs and lungs beyond what I had ever thought possible. I could go beyond my self-inflicted boundaries. It didn't matter if I was running on the roads or running through life I could do whatever I put my mind to. Road blocks and life blocks can be moved, run around, jumped over or avoided all together by taking a new path.

     I recently read a devotion that made the point, “If you try to pull back each time you reach what seems like your limit, you’ll never know how much you can trust God – or how much He can trust you.” In the beginning of my running life, it hurt to run longer than just a minute or two. I had to push beyond what was comfortable, what I thought was my limit. Eventually, I got to five minutes, 10 minutes, 2 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles and so on and so forth. Eventually, the progressions got easier simply because I was becoming more confident in my ability to push forward. Because of that confidence I found myself able to entertain the idea of the marathon, something I never would have imagined doing pre-pilates, pre-baby, pre-marriage or even post first half marathon, for that matter. The same thing goes for trusting God. The more I allow Him to push me beyond my comfort zone, past my self-inflicted boundaries and all the road blocks I myself put in my path, the easier it will be to go the distance with Him and reach heights I now can’t even begin to fathom. It’s an exciting thought!

     When I see photos of my pre-pilates self I realize I found my new path. I am no longer that woman who wishes she was in shape. I am in shape. I am that mom who runs marathons. One day, I hope to be the grandma who runs marathons. I am a runner! And oh yeah, thanks to a continuation of pilates, I have a pretty strong core to boot!
     In the same way, I want to look back on my life and say I am no longer that woman who wishes she was stronger in her faith. Rather, isn’t it greater to say, I am a woman who anxiously reaches for all God offers me? I am strong and confident. I am a child of God and I am running the race of my life. And oh yeah, because I continue to read my bible, pray, worship, and attend church, I have a pretty strong core to boot!