Some of the fondest memories I have of my dad from my childhood involve my dad and his love of running. I believe Dad ran as a way to self-medicate, as he's got one of the most severe cases of undiagnosed AD/HD I've ever seen. When I think of
Dad and Running in my youth, I see him at his happiest, smiling.
He’d come home from a run covered in sweat, smelling to the high heavens, with a broad smile.
“I feel GREAT!” or “That was AMAZING!”
was something we’d always hear.
I can remember being at Dad’s races, feeling so proud of him. I also had an overwhelming sense of envy. I wanted to do it. I wanted to run. But for some reason, try as I might, I couldn’t ever get the mojo to go. Classically lazy as a teenager, I joined the high school track team and excelled as a shot and discus thrower. However, when running with the team for a 5 mile run, I’d find the short cut. Or walk. Or hang out at McDonalds. I tried running again in college and later adult years, but never really made it past 2 miles.
The April I was to turn 29 I started what I called my “potential mid life crisis.” I was 29, exceptionally heavy, and miserable. I knew at the rate I was going, I’d be dead by 60. Something snapped and I began my change. By removing flour and most dairy from my diet I lost about 20 pounds with in two months. I started to do some light running, .5 to 1 mile at a time. I was able to take off another 10. As soon as July I was ready for some more extreme weight loss and delved into the Atkins Diet. This diet worked wonderfully for me and when my daughter started her first day of Kindergarten, I was ready to become a runner.
On Quinn’s first day of Kindergarten I took my first real, serious run. Using the Couch to 5K as my base program, I slightly modified it since I could go longer than where you were to begin. The day I was able to run 3 miles without stopping was one of the most exciting days of my life. I also, discovered, however, that I could no longer do the Atkins Diet. Carbs were a necessary evil . So while my weight loss slowed, my body continued to change and I was becoming truly HEALTHY. I was happy and felt great, too. That November I finished my first, second, and third 5k. The tears I shed crossing those finish lines! Tears of pride, releasing something I'd wanted to do for years and finally had.
By that January (5 months after I started) I finished my first 10K. That race was such a challenge because of the course (over a hilly bridge 4 times!) but I finished it and felt very proud. It made me want to do more. I buckled down over the next 10 months, joined a local running club, and trained hard. By October of the following year I my first 8.1 miler at Disney. The next December I did my first half marathon, the famous White Rock. I remember finishing that race with this feeling: “I hated that! I am never doing that EVER again, and I’ll certainly never run a FULL marathon! That’s stupid.”
Two months later I completed the first ever Disney Princess Half Marathon.
Just five months after that, I was signed up for my first Marathon- Walt Disney World Marathon. Running has a funny way of sucking you in. It’s more than addiction. It’s a lifestyle. The last year has been so much fun running. I did my first marathon, at 13 weeks pregnant. I did a marathon relay on the beach, and I set my ½ marathon personal record at 24 weeks pregnant.
I now find myself 9 weeks post baby struggling to get back in to my lifestyle. Writing this has reminded me of where I came from, why I started, and where drive and desire can take you. Running changed my life. Running makes me happy. Running keeps me healthy. So many women, especially moms, need something in their life. I hope to share my love and joy of running with more women who are like me.
Isla Belle post 3 miler, chillin' in the BoB Revolution!
