What I've Learned From Running

I started running about eight years ago when I was 23. In those years I've really morphed as a runner. I suppose I should begin with "runs" back in my teen years. Nothing could make me sicker than seeing my gym teacher standing at the edge of the track, hands on her hips and devilish look in her eye. Run the Mile Day. That was the worst for me – I didn’t even bother to try most years. One year I conveniently stayed home sick only to find out I had to make up the run after school. That year I did the mile in 26 minutes.

Needless to say, I fought running tooth and nail my whole childhood. Running equaled torture. So what changed? A track close to my condominium. The challenge of changing my most hated activity into an enjoyable one. A desk job that had turned my belly to mush.
 

When I began running I started off just as I always do most new projects: too fast and too amateurish. I would run way too fast and find myself depleted after 1/8 of a mile. At that time I was a smoker, and would light up the second I got in the car.
 

This was when the learning part came in. I ran with a friend one day and noticed she was running much slower than me. Brilliant! After that I managed to work up to running ¼ of a mile with no problem, then a ½ mile, then even a mile!
 

The strangest thing was that running, formerly an activity of torture, became my friend. I had some personal problems – namely a divorce – which threw me into a confused, depressed stupor. Getting up in the morning was tough. Running was easy. I had to force myself to keep going on with life, but forcing myself to keep running wasn’t quite as hard. Just step with the left foot, step with the right. Running taught me so much about how to just keep going, whether you want to or not.
 

There are more things I have learned, but utilizing my first lesson of taking it one step at a time, I’m going to stop here for now!
 

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