It's come up in conversation several times recently to wonder how long I’ve been running, and honestly it’s something that hasn’t always been a constant in my life. Some of the darkest times in my life were escaped with the help of running; many times it became a relief mechanism, a way to get out and think things through that somehow made whatever was so troublesome at the time seem less so, at least for a moment or two. Other times it was an activity I could do with a friend, which made it more enjoyable. But for every time I stopped for a bit due to a busy schedule or some other excuse, it seemed like it was more and more difficult to pick it back up and stick with it; the curve to return to where I had left off was steeper and harder to overcome. This is the longest consecutive streak I’ve maintained, and I’m doing more with it now than I ever have before, but I had abandoned all forms of exercise for quite some time before then. How I got back in the game this time is a story that I can laugh about now though it didn't have a happy beginning...
It was the summer of 2008 and that was the year I had finally done two things to be more active in my life: in February I had the opportunity to ski in Taos with one of the partners from my office and his wife. It was the first time in more than 20 years that I had attempted to ski, having sworn it off after a bad encounter in church camp that left me riding back down the ski lift, and it was the most athletic thing I had attempted in several years. Despite an initial snafu caused by too much vanilla vodka and crème soda the night before, it was generally uneventful yet thoroughly invigorating to just be active, although the initial panic attack I experienced on the ski lift certainly helped get my blood flowing as well! Secondly, at the encouragement of that partner, I joined the company softball team. I use the word "joined" loosely as I struck out twice in the first game, my bat swinging in full motion yet nowhere near the ball. It was humiliating, despite the team’s efforts to be supportive, and thankfully my prayer to never be called up to bat again was answered. I later found my niche as the team childcare provider, a vital position that I enjoyed immensely and found to be not nearly as painful as trying to catch the ball with my face in practice. It was during one of the games that a cute little girl named Abbie politely asked if I had "a baby in my tummy." I was mortified! I secretly suspected people had wondered that but were too polite to ask, especially since I generally dressed in baggy shirts and long skirts thinking it would somehow hide my ever-expanding frame, the product of too much convenience food and nowhere near enough physical activity. So while it didn't happen overnight, that was the final straw that prompted me to get out and get moving again. I started out slow and painful with a few 5ks and my first sprint triathlon, and it was many more months before I started tackling half marathons, but I have kept running or at least moving. Now that I've earned the title of marathoner, I don't want to stop.
I waited a long time to tell Abbie’s dad that story. I watched a similar wave of humiliation wash over his face as I repeated her innocent question and could see him mentally will the ground to open up and swallow him, but I was quick to assure him that it was just the push I needed to do something more and I had results to show how far I had come. After that, every time I finished a new race I would proudly show him my medal and hail the “inspiration of Abbie” that had given me that nudge to finally do something more and stick with it.
Sometimes it just takes something little like that to make a big difference. Other times it's something a lot bigger than that.
I will be running my next marathon in October - the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco. I've wanted to do this race ever since I read about it years ago in Runner's World, and even better than getting there will be that I'm doing it in honor of a friend that I lost last December, Dawn Thompson. I have the opportunity to help make a difference in the lives of so many, and that's an incredible inspiration as well.
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