The End To All The Excuses

For those of you who know me for a while, you will know that I absolutely hate running. I hate it so much that after Grade 7, the only time I would do it was for gym class. That's it. My knees were in so much pain, I hated how I felt after, and my boobs just grew bigger so running became harder.

Recently, I decided that I was going to take up running again. Why? I actually have no idea. Seriously though, I'm still not sure what in my brain decided that this was a good idea. I found a running club through Instagram called Winnipeg Run Club that meets once a week at Assiniboine Park and has two groups that run 5km and 10km.

I figured what better way to start than with a group who encourages you to go at your own pace and build up your momentum week after week. I knew that there was a good chance I would be running at the back of the pack. I mean seriously, I haven't run more than two blocks in over 8 years, it was bound to be challenging. I kept telling myself the only way you're going to get better is by trying over and over again and keep at it each week.

I'm in my third week today, and I have to say I'm kind of excited for the first time. I ran a lot farther last week and even though I was slow and at the very back again, I didn't care. Why? No one else cared how fast I ran so why should I? The reason I LOVE this running group is because no matter how fast or slow you're running, no one is ever judging you. You're out there running, which is a huge step in the right direction because it means you're not sitting on the couch. So who cares how fast you run? No one.

I asked my mom if she wanted to join in this club with me, mainly because I knew she would love it and keep me accountable for going week after week. I have to say that was a great decision and even though we don't run together (because she's way faster) it's still good to know I have support. Like I had mentioned in my last blog post, my plan is to run one 5km run per month starting in May. By October, I'm hoping I'll be able to run the 10km in the WFPS Half Marathon.

My plan now is to try and get my endurance back up so that I can run without taking breaks. As I was told by one of the coaches last week, running is all mental. If you tell yourself you can do it, you will. If you say you can't, then you won't. I think I'm almost at the point where I'm telling myself I can do it for the whole run. I'm putting an end to my excuses that were the reason to me being lazy for so long. I've seen myself run/walk 5km for three weeks now, so there really is nothing holding me back.

My advice for this week? Try stepping outside of your comfort zone. Between the class I took and now the running club, I would say I've never been and felt happier. I have energy to do things, I am accomplishing things I never thought were possible anymore and I'm loving the positive changes.