Running, Solitude and Big Goals
Running is a topic that often comes up in conversations with my patients who are very fit. “Are you a runner?” Hmm, I always think…. “How much and how often does one need to run to be able to call themselves a runner?” Before, 2007 the answer was an emphatic, NO! I love to exercise. Walk, aerobics, machines galore, but actual running… no. First of all, I am not the leanest machine on the block, plus I have terrible seasonal outdoor allergies, neither of which really propels me to greatness as a runner.
So, you can imagine my husband’s surprise when we were at Disney one year and I admired runners in the Disney marathon “That looks like fun. I would like to do that someday.” To which he replied, “but you don’t run.” I recently listened to a preacher Jeff Henderson talk about goals. He described that most people fit into one of two categories, dreamers or realists. Needless to say, I am a dreamer, and Dave my husband a realist. In the same message, he said that [shareable cite=”Jeff Henderson” text=”‘If you believe something is possible, it is possible. Conversely, if you believe something is impossible, it is impossible.'”]’If you believe something is possible, it is possible. Conversely, if you believe something is impossible, it is impossible.'[/shareable] Well, I am a dreamer and I think anything is possible. Plus, did I mention I am extremely driven and stubborn?
When we were kids, my Dad ran every day after work and ran a few races himself. I think that really inspired both my brother and I at an early age. My brother, Aaron, is a REAL RUNNER. He runs a few times a week, every week, every year since he was in high school. So, in 2006, he mentioned that he was planning to run the Disney Marathon the following year. To which I replied, “Ooh, I want to do that with you!” and to which he replied, “but you don’t run.” I said I would and I did, from nothing to marathon completion in 6 months. Admittedly, I walked a lot and my time was slow, but I loved every minute of it. Just as I had dreamed many years earlier, it was fun and I did it. That was January 2007. I ran the marathon again in 2008.
Then in 2009, I decided to train again and at about 15 miles I got really sluggish. SURPRISE! Little Lily was slowing me down even though she was the size of a bean. After Lily was born in 2010, I decided to train again to try to get back in shape. SURPRISE! Baby Ella stopped me in my tracks. So, then I really had a five year hiatus with ZERO running. I am not very good at doing things a little bit… I am an all or nothing kind of gal. Motherhood consumed all of my free time, with little time for myself to do crazy things like run 26.2 miles.
Well, now here I am, almost 10 years older, and shamedly, even less lean than I was in 2006, training for the Disney Marathon again. In a similar moment of dreaming last fall, my friend Crystal Messenger and I dreamed of running the marathon in 2016. After recovering from knee surgery this spring, I started training. And this fall, I rediscovered why I do actually like to run. Solitude – time to think, pray, listen to music, listen to podcasts. Solitude is a rare treasure in my busy life, and it makes running a pleasure. Happily, I made it through training and completed the Disney Marathon again in January 2016.
So, how about you? Are you a runner? Why do you love to run? What is the longest distance you have run? Do you dream of running a marathon someday? YOU CAN DO IT! I used a book called, “The Non Runners Guide to Running a Marathon” each time. It walks you through a simple but effective and proven plan to successfully completing a marathon. I highly recommend it to all the dreamers out there!
Have another dream dancing around in your brain? If you believe something is possible, it is possible!
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