Quite often, when I tell people about my love for running, they respond by saying, “good for you! But I am just not a runner”. I feel like this is a common misconception people have about themselves. True, some people might not be a natural runner, and running might not be as easy for them as it is for others…but that doesn’t mean you can’t ever call yourself a runner too!
I have always believed that if you can walk, you can run. You just gotta try it! It might not be easy at first, and you may not enjoy it in the beginning, but if you stick with it I will guarantee that someday you will be happy with yourself that you did.
Now I have a little story to share with you.
When I was college, I had a very close friend. We spent a lot of time together and shared many common interests. However running was not one of these mutual interests. Every time I would say, “why don’t you go for a run with me?” I would quickly hear “NO! I am not a runner, my knees are too weak to run on”. So with that being said, I went on many runs solo throughout college.
After college, this friend and I quickly drifted apart and lost touch. But can you guess where I re-connected with them (I bet you $5 you can’t)? Well, it was at mile 11 of the Kansas City Half Marathon. I looked over as I was nearing the end of a very long, hard and fast race and saw the person that constantly told me “I am NOT a runner!”. There he was, running a 7:30 mile pace, and he had been doing it for 11 miles already. I was stunned, and so proud at the same time. It was so crazy to think that out of all the years we knew each other, the first time we ever ran next to each other was at mile 11 of a half marathon.
Moral of my little story: I think anyone can be a runner if you just put your mind, body and soul into it. It might not be easy at the start, but you will get it down and start to enjoy it.
Put your excuses on the shelf and get some cute running clothes. You can do it, I know you can!
“In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.”
-Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder
“The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”
-John Bingham
And if you need more motivation, just remember…
Xoxo,
Ali
miles with style 