My Journey as a Recreational Runner: How I Learned that I Could Go the Distance

My running journey began with a 5k during the summer of 2016. Despite hating running, my dad convinced me into giving it a try. The above quote describes his journey with running. He began by walking around his work campus with his colleagues and then one of them suggested running on the weekend. The accountability held them to meeting and beginning their running journeys. He was now attempting to transfer his interest onto me.

“It’s only 3.2 miles. How hard can it be?”

WRONG.

I was overcome with shin splints within one mile and resorted to walking the remaining 2.2 miles in the brutal, scorching Folsom heat. Needless to say, it was not enjoyable and I swore to never run again.

Fast forward to college – having tried and failed “running” in the past, it was always something that I thought I couldn’t do but decided to try again. I took the leap of faith and signed up for my first half marathon. My friend Mia felt the same way so we both decided to train together. Having a training partner was critical to holding myself accountable for the long runs on the beach. My dad encouraged me with incentives from Lululemon (my guilty pleasure) for every running milestone I would meet. And with that, my mileage increased from 1-3-6-9-10-12. It didn’t just require the discipline for following a training plan but also the accountability and motivation to complete each distance run.

RACE DAY

You know those mornings when you have to wake up really early yet your brain just can’t shut off? I had an alarm set for 3:00 am to drive to Anaheim for the Disney Super Heroes Half Marathon and needless to say, the nerves kept me from getting a wink of sleep.  Hearing the host countdown the start for my corral, I felt the adrenaline pulse through my veins. Was I flying? No, the race had just begun. I kept waiting for the moment it would get hard – that moment never came. People tell you how much adrenaline helps-they weren’t kidding. It wasn’t until mile 9 that I realized I would actually finish…and that feeling kept me going for the final 5 miles.

Runner’s High: There are few feelings in life that I’ve experienced thus far that match to the powerful “high” that comes with crossing the finish line and remains through the week.

I FELT LIKE I COULD CONQUER THE WORLD.

My roommate asked me that night – So when are you going to do your first marathon?

‘LOL never’ was my response.

Aftermath

Fast forward to now, I haven’t been able to stop chasing that feeling. I’ve run 3 marathons and 17 half marathons. I find no better parallel to life than the distance of a marathon. The tireless commitment of training, the challenges you face, the “walls” you hit, the people who cheer you on along the way, (strangers and kin), the high that comes after – never the same.

It’s hard to imagine the distances I now run casually on the weekend compared to where I saw myself years ago; when I resented being forced to run a mile in P.E. or could barely make it through a 5k. However, the races I’ve run and the personal records  I’ve set aren’t my biggest accomplishments with the sport. It’s the acceptance of one of my greatest passions as part of my multi-faceted identity. By letting go of societal standards and feelings of comparison, I fully own my body’s ability to go the distance. I’m a runner through and through.

Running X Uforia Studios

And I can’t wait to bring my love to people like you with Uforia’s newest Running Bootcamp class! Piloting this Sunday – join us on Marina Green as we break everyone up in two groups. One group will join me on a dynamic run while the other group will join Steve with low impact strength. The groups will switch off three times and end with a cool down.

I was always overcome with Imposter Syndrome when people called me a runner. It was partially body image insecurities that led me to believe that I didn’t have the body type of a runner. And the other half was that I didn’t consider myself “good enough” despite being a recreational runner. It shouldn’t have taken me running 2 marathons and 10 half marathons in the span of one year for me to realize that I was indeed a runner. More on that in another post but I hope that everyone realizes that running doesn’t require a mileage commitment, specific body type, or fast speed.  

You too, can go the distance. Take it from our boy, Hercules.

Also, Meg is SO underrated.