Why Run? No One Is Chasing Me…

That’s what I used to think.  Why run?  If no one is chasing me, I’m not going to run.  I remember different times when a bus was coming, or I had to catch a train to work and I would walk.  It is not worth getting sweaty, out-of-breath, or tired!  It’s hard to run.  Why would anyone want to do that?  It’s bad for your knees, it’s hard on your body, blah, blah, blah.

Then, as I wrote about in a prior post (How Disney Change My Life – Again), I got the invitation to a fun run at Walt Disney World.  I enrolled in a couch-to-5K program called New Balance No Boundaries.  I became a runner.  Albeit a slow runner.  Albeit a novice runner.  But a runner.

Last night I was thinking about it, still a bit surprised that I had started to run at all.  And thinking about why exactly I started.  Everyone has their own reasons, but I thought I would share mine, just in case you are thinking about it and need a little encouragement.

Someone thought I could

Honestly, I didn’t think I could do it.  My friends and family didn’t think I could do it.  I didn’t look like a runner, I didn’t feel like a runner.  Well, guess what?  No one does before they start running!  The New Balance No Boundaries program that I enrolled in through a local running store told me that I could do it.  I could do it.  They said anyone could do it.  And they know what they are talking about.  They study running and runners and know how to train someone and what the human body is capable of.  They thought I could do it.  Who am I to argue with them, right?

I had a goal

Running at Walt Disney World is magical.  It’s so cool!  It was something I really wanted to do.  Ever since I heard about runDisney, I’ve wanted to do it.  On the runDisney website, it says it’s a, “unique opportunity”.  Okay, I’m hooked.  I am all about unique opportunities!  Special things that not everyone can do. My (two now, squee) Disney fun runs were amazing.  The first one was at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World.  It’s where athletes (professional and amateur) come to from around the world to participate in their favorite sport and then celebrate afterward with a Disney vacation.  The second fun run was equally amazing at Epcot, around the lagoon where the international exhibits are located.  It included stops with characters like Rapunzel, Snow White and Minnie herself.  I’ll never forget it!

What is it about us that makes us want to get medals?  For every runDisney major event there is a Disney-themed finisher medal.  I want one.  I want one badly.  I am going to do this.  Stay tuned, I know there is a runDisney half-marathon in my future!  (I’m visualizing)

Fairytales do come true. One mile at a time. from runDisney

It’s easy

Are you saying, “Okay, now Kelly is crazy!”?  From someone who couldn’t run across the street, how can I say, “It’s easy”?  Well, with a couch-to-5K you start small.  You start with what you can do.  For my program, I started with running one minute and walking two minutes.  Even though one minute can seem like for-ever when you are running (and like the blink of an eye when walking), you quickly progress to two and three and four minutes.  It’s done so gradually that you hardly notice.  The coaches remind you “of where you came”.  They help you remember how hard it was to do that first minute.  AND how now you are doing four or more without missing a beat.

The other “easy” part of running is that you don’t need much.  Unlike other sports, where you need equipment, a field, teammates, an opponent, referees etc., running doesn’t even depend on the weather.  You don’t even need to drive anywhere!  You just walk, or run rather, right out the door.  In the heat of the summer, mornings and evenings are better, but really you can do it anytime.  Yes, running on a track is better, but really you can run anywhere.

I have to admit that I did invest some money in shoes and couldn’t-resist clothes.  I knew that there was a lot stacked against me and I wanted to feel like a runner.  The coaches strongly suggested we invest in a good pair of running shoes.  I completely, completely agree.  It made it much easier to run in a good pair of shoes with a good pair of orthotics inside.  Then you move up to a good pair of socks – yup, there is such a thing as a better sock.  In the Chicago heat, it did help to have wicking quick-dry clothes and for someone who sweats like me, the visor is helpful.  That’s a good word, helpful.  All these things are helpful.  Not necessary, but helpful.

Running changes everything

Our shirts for the New Balance No Boundaries program say, “Running changes everything”.  But what difference does it really make?  What is the “everything” that changes?  Well, for me, before I started running, I was stalled in my journey to lose weight.  I was on a big, big, b-i-g plateau and not budging an ounce.  When I started running, the weight fell.  And the weight moved.  It felt like my body shape changed.  For the better. And sometimes I noticed that even though I hadn’t lost any weight, my clothes fit better.

There is a lot of evidence that exercise is good for your mental health.  I’ve noticed that I just “feel good” after a run.  I can feel that my muscles have been challenged.  It only hurt the first time I ran, after that, I felt stretched, but didn’t have pain.  Not always true for everyone, but that’s how it worked for me.  I can always tell that I’ve been for a run, but it’s a good feeling.

My eating preferences changed, leaning more towards fresh fruits and vegetables than toward fatty, sweet foods.  I’ll never forget when my Mom and I were out once and stopped for an afternoon treat.  There were cookies, cakes, ice cream.  I chose yogurt.  Seriously.  I wanted yogurt over those other delicious treats.  Not a mind decision, saying I want to lose weight.  I wanted the yogurt more than the sweets.

Runners tend to be nice people.  I think there’s something about running that makes you easier-going.  More accepting.  Less whiney.  Less drama.  When you run, you make friends with people that have more than just running in common with you – they are happy.

 If you are thinking at all about trying a running program, do it! 

Go to runDisney.com/training and run.

Let me know how it goes!  

Disclosure of Material Connection:  Disney has subsidized trips to Walt DisneyWorld for myself and my family.