Sunday, July 28, 2013

I Am a Runner

I am a runner. In fact, I have spent many years of my life running from...
 
As a child, I ran from the other kids who made fun of me because of my weight, and found places to hide and cry...
 
As a teen, I ran from the pain of feeling alone and misunderstood because I was always the biggest kid in every class...
 
As a college student, I ran from the reality of the food choices I was making and the harm I was doing to my body through over-eating and making excuses for my size...
 
As an young adult, I ran from the belief that I could ever make a change and lose weight, and I held onto the idea that being obese was just my lot in life...
 
Today, however, I no longer run from, but I run to...
 
I run to the truth that, with God as my foundation and my help, change is indeed possible!
 
I run to a future of healthy living and well-being!
 
I run to prove to myself that there is an athlete who has lived inside of me all along, and I have finally set her free!
 
I run to show my kids that they can set huge goals in life and reach them through commitment!
 
Today, I run because...
 
I run because the joy I experience in the freedom of movement is overwhelming! (I will neither confirm nor deny that I have had a "Sound of Music" mountain top moment, running, with my arms flung open wide and twirling on the back half of the track at the local park...more than once!)
 
I run because I have always been the slowest and the last in every sport and always dreaded gym class because I couldn't keep up, but I now know my body can be pushed farther than it ever has before!

I run because I want to encourage others that you don’t have to be at your goal weight to get up off the couch and start moving!
 
I run, simply because.....I can!
 
As someone who used to barely be able to walk to the mailbox and back, words can hardly explain the feeling I get when I lace up my shoes and hit the pavement. To finish and know that my body has carried me 3, 4, or 5 miles on my own two feet in a matter of minutes makes me well up with tears of thankfulness and amazement. To me, running represents healing, restoration, change, and freedom.
 
I am a runner!




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(Just a reminder/disclosure…I am not a medical professional or certified trainer, so anything I write in this blog is not intended to be taken as advice, guidance, or recommendations.  It is simply a journal of my own personal experiences.  Thanks!)