I’ve been an athlete all my life.
I played football, basketball and ran track. Among these, I always find fulfillment in running. Probably because for the longest time I was faster than anyone else. However, as the years passed and I gained pounds, my speed went away. It was then I began to focus more on distance.
At First It Sucked.
It was boring, it hurt… it was slow. Then I realized, there was the challenge. Not everyone can do this. Most people could never imagine running a 13.1 mile Half Marathon, let along going out there and doing it. That’s when I started to train hard. I wanted to be part of something different. I wanted to be a step above.
How Did I Do It?
Well, I started by making a commitment to myself. My advice is to start slow; you have to walk before you run!
Additional Tips for Running Your First Race:
#1. If you’ve never run, start off walking a few times a week around your neighborhood.
#2. If you’re ready to run, take it slow, and enter a local 5k (3 miles). You can run/walk until you build enough ability to run the distance without pause.
#3. Now, slowly and gradually increase your distance and pace, and before you know it–you are a runner!
Go tackle those big distances; don’t be afraid to succeed or to fail. Your body can, and will, follow what your mind believes. I’ve been running half marathons since 2008, and I couldn’t imagine them not being a part of my life.
