On Running

A little over a year ago, I got to watch my sister and some of her friends run a half marathon. Anna swore off running after a lifetime of playing soccer, so at first it was pretty funny when she told me she’d be training for a half. But something she said after running the race last year stuck with me: “I really believe anyone can do it.”

So, naturally, I decided to do it this year. Before this summer, I hadn’t run more than three miles at once, and I hadn’t done even that in a while. I was a little worried about getting injured, considering I spent a portion of last summer not able to walk without pain.

What I didn’t expect? For half marathon training to become the exact thing I needed, at the exact time I needed it. Training became a gift I knew God was giving me in a season of transition. Summer always lacks routine, and I struggle with that. Plenty of times this summer I had no idea what a week might look like, but I knew I had 3 runs to go on, and that grounded me.

My biggest hurdle was learning to run slow. I ran a lot as a kid and through my early teen years, but like almost every girl I know, it became an unhealthy of cycle of thinking the faster/more painful a run was, the more calories were burned and therefore that run was “better”. I quickly learned you don’t hit mileage PRs while also hitting time PRs – unless you want to hate every mile. Slow and steady long miles became first priority, and speed came eventually.

I have heard a lot of people say ” I can’t imagine running X amount of miles.” And neither could I before this summer. But if you can run 4, you can run 5, etc etc. Running is the perfect example of if you don’t believe you can do it, you probably can’t, BUT if you do believe you can do it, you definitely can.

I wasn’t sure I could do it at all in the beginning. I wasn’t sure I could do it alone. The concept of running 13.1 whole miles was incredibly daunting.

I ran a few runs with friends. My very first run of training was in Indiana with Lauren and her sisters. I ran a very hilly 2 miles with Bella, too, who absolutely smoked me. My first 5 miles was scheduled the same week Danielle was in town which was such a blessing. An experienced distance runner herself, Danielle paced me on my first long run and offered me advice throughout my whole training. I truly couldn’t have done it without her!

I ran almost entirely in the early mornings, trying to beat the summer heat. There were plenty of mornings I wished I had started before the sun came up because of how hot it was by 7:00 am. On long runs, I would loop back to my car to drink water and stretch in the middle of the run. I felt the stretching in the middle of pushing my body passed where it had gone before would help prevent injury. Considering training as a whole, I got through relatively unscathed.

Another learning curve I experienced was fueling myself and learning how to read my body. Running is unique in that what you eat or don’t eat before (including the night before) affects your run a lot. I had to eat before, even if I didn’t feel like it, and often took energy gels on long runs to replenish nutrients I lost. The absolute worst was getting hungry mid-way through a run. I also learned how much sleep affected my runs. Bad sleep was always obvious five minutes into hitting the pavement.

I learned to push or cancel the run that fell on the first two days of my period (I’ve fully gone down the cycle-syncing rabbit hole and honestly, its helped so much). But also learned that day 3 of my period my energy levels felt normal and I could go on any length run I needed.

I learned the secret to running – you just do it. You do it whether you feel like running or not. You get up whether you feel rested or not. You fuel up whether you want to or not. You just start, and pretty soon the race sneaks up on you.

My longest run before the race was 10 miles. The weather cooled down unexpectedly so I pushed the run up a day. I was pretty nervous. I knew after running 10 I would feel ready for the half, but I also knew that if something went wrong with the 10 I might panic. Thankfully, all went smooth, I listened to worship music the whole way, and honestly zoned out because running for 2 hours is a pretty long time.

Race weekend was my first time back in Blacksburg since graduation. Fun to be back, but daunting to know the race was right around the corner. My sister and all her roommates were all running the Hokie-Half, so there was an “all in this together” mentality that made it fun. We ate pasta the night before, no one slept well, then got up before the sun to force ourselves to eat and get to the start, all while reminding ourselves we signed up for this for fun.

The very beginning of the race is both fun and terrifying as everyone is together but also there’s an overwhelming feeling of “I have 13 miles to run”. Something I kept telling myself was to run my race – the way I’d been training for it. I realized pretty quick that every single person running the race had their own strategy, pace, and goals, so there was no use trying to compare, I just had to run the race I trained for.

And I did. I ran the race a little slower than I wanted, the hills at miles 9 and 11 got me, but overall I ran the race I trained for. It was overcast in Blacksburg, which I was so thankful for considering my worst fear was probably scorching heat on race day. Like always, the Blacksburg breeze was blowing. I was inspired by everyone cheering each other on in the race. And I was so glad to finish.

Shortly after leaving the course to get lunch (with our medals on), it started pouring. The day turned into a calm rainy day in Blacksburg – one of my favorite types of days. We laid around and took in some well deserved rest. Anna and I got ice cream for dinner.

I’ve continued to run since the half, and I know I want to run my next one faster. I’m thankful for what a summer of running taught me and for a body that would do it.

Here’s to the next challenge.