How did your first week of training go? Don’t let the slightly cooler temperatures get you down. Just remind yourself that we are finally experiencing “normal” temps and start getting all those excuses out of your head. If you haven’t started training yet, no better time than the present, so get out there today! And again, remember that June 9th may be the main event, but there are many milestones and small wins along the way. The journey is yours to define!
So what does a runner look like?
LOOK IN THE MIRROR!
Besides training for my 5th Bellin Run, I am also training for my second Full Marathon which will take place a few weeks before the Bellin Run. When I am running, in my head, my form and physic look just like great American Runner Ryan Hall, but in reality I am 6ft and run around 200 lbs. Far from Ryan’s 5’10’’ 130 lbs frame, but you know what, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because the average runner doesn’t look anything like Ryan and that is what makes this sport so great. Anyone who has any sort of motivation can get up off the couch and begin a running or walking program and significantly change their life.
I started running as a way to help me lose weight and even though I had done the Bellin Run prior to losing the weight, thanks to encouragement from Team Captains like George, I had never envisioned myself to be a runner. As I mentioned, no one is going to see me on the street and accuse me of being a runner even now and it was even less likely then. But as soon as my feet started hitting the pavement on a regular basis, I was and always will be a runner.
If training for this year’s Bellin Run is your starting point, don’t ever feel like you are alone in the process, if you go looking you will find that the running community is very inviting and extremely motivating. The running boom over the last decade and company’s focus on employee wellness has prompted literally millions of people just like you and I to make healthier life styles choices and we are all out there to support each other in that journey. Joining a site like Daily Mile (Look me up if you need a buddy), My Fitness Pal, or countless others helps people stay accountable and provide for a place for people to ask questions and get some great feedback. If you are veteran runner, make yourself available to the newbie’s and remember what it was like when you just started out.
