MR Blog: “I’ve taken up running”

People who haven’t seen me in a while often comment about how different I look since the last time they saw me. “You look great!” they’ll exclaim. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve taken up running.”

Silence.

“Oh. Good for you,” they’ll say politely…. and then, it never fails. Next thing out of their mouth: “But I hate running.”

Yeah. I know. Trust me. I hate running too.

It’s sweaty, it’s messy, and it’s hot. And it hurts. Like really hurts. Like I’m not sure I can name a day I haven’t been in pain since I started this journey towards becoming a “runner”. It takes hours each week and requires me to plan my life around it. I’m a mother of a rambunctious soon-to-be-3 year old lil boy, and let me tell you there is not enough time in my life for running. My husband is a runner. Like a real life been running his whole life he runs marathons type of runner. So there is not enough time for us both to be “runners”, and yet, so far, we’re making it work.

Lets be honest here I just hate running. And there are much more pleasant things a person can do with time. Like watch TV or eat, check facebook, drink an ice cold beer, tweet, take a nap! But I tried doing all those pleasant things for years. And what did it get me? Unhealthy, and out of shape. Life fail. So yeah, I hate running, too. But trust me, the alternative is much, MUCH worse.

Two months ago I decided to suck it up, and stop with the excuses. I started running. Here were my main motivations:

1 – My husband is a runner. He motivates me every day. When we met (8 years ago) I was a runner too. We used to run together. We were “that couple” that looked great running together laughing and having conversations as they ran. 8 years later, a house, marriage, dog, kid, jobs, and LIFE got in my way. I strive to get back to that.

2- I work for a running company… Annnnnd (punch line here folks) I’m not a runner. Now this in itself should be self-explanatory. Interacting with runners day in and day out. Learning the “ropes” on how to put on road races has lead me to hear some truly awe inspiring stories from people. People have had to overcome so much more than I could ever dream of overcoming in their drive to become a runner. If they can do it, I can do it. Hell, my only excuse has ever been “I hate running.”

3 – My son. He is amazing. I want to show him the healthy lifestyle that running includes. I want him to want to be just like his father. I want him to be proud of me. Most of all I want to be there for him through all the important moments in his life. I want to be a runner, for him.

So I just decided to get out there, and do it.

July was my first month running, and I set a goal of running 50 miles that month. Full disclosure here – by running I defined it as running as much as I could, jogging what I needed, walking the rest. I met my goal. I surpassed it coming in at 54 miles in July. I could go on and on about my trials and tears and blisters and successes and the day I actually ran a whole mile without stopping, but those are stories for another day. Suffice it to say I met my goal. And – bonus – lost 6 pounds. I FELT GREAT.

August is my second month running, and I’ve set a goal of running 60 miles this month. I’m well on my way to getting there, and hope to share much of the journey with you all! Who knows, maybe one day I’ll be able to run one of the races I help in organizing day in and day out. But for now I’ll just keep plugging along. Last weekend I went running with my husband for the first time in years. 3 miles. I didn’t have to stop once. Might not sound like much of an accomplishment to you real runners out there, but trust me, it was. We were “that couple” again, only this time we were pushing a jogging stroller along. My son smiling and laughing in it, and at one point said to me “Mommy, running is fun, go faster mommy!” And I loved every darn minute of it. And guess what?! For the first time in my life I could truly say…. “I don’t hate running today.”

Bethany A. Renaud

About Bethany: Joining Millennium Running in 2011, Bethany brought her finance, office management, and HR experience to the team. Bethany is a graduate of Johnson State College, completing a BA in Business Management, with a minor in Marketing. Bethany lives in Grantham, NH with her husband Ryan and son Nicholas.