My new addiction

I have never run anywhere in my life.  I was that girl who was always chosen last for the kickball team.  I came in last in the 100 yard dash.  I would attempt to run from time to time and about 10 seconds in I would get a cramp and my ankles would hurt.

I was not a runner. 

(Um...ignore the fish...not sure why it's there...but the picture was perfect otherwise so I used it.)

Walking I could do forever.  I walked every weekday morning for years.  I loved it.  But do not make me run....ever!

I am now a runner, or at least a beginner runner.  Not sure what the term for that would be, maybe brunner?  I have finished 3 races and am planning the next ones out.  I am working toward a half-marathon.

So what changed?

Here is my theory.  When I went back to school I started to realize that at the end of the semester I was always changed.  Something inside of me had shifted, I had more knowledge, I had more skills, I had different ways of looking at people.  I started to look forward to that change.  I would sit at the beginning of the semester and think about how much growth would occur during that semester and then at the end I would reflect about how much growth did happen for me.

Now not all semesters were the same, I can't say my basic stats class was life changing, but my diversity class wasn't life changing, it was life altering.  I look at the human race in an entirely different light.  But after every single semester I had grown.

I noticed quickly after finishing school that I missed that feeling.  I missed the feeling that I would be a different and better person in four months.

The other element that was going on was the fact that I am a counselor.  As a counselor you almost never get to finish anything.  People rarely finish out counseling and even when they do they don't come back and tell me how much better they are doing.  It happens occasionally (I think twice for me since I started a year and a half ago), but more often I am left hanging.  Money runs out, time runs out, I fix the problem the parent brought the child in for so they stop bringing them even though the child has so much more going on etc.  So I don't get the satisfaction of a job well done, or even just finished, very often.

I had a supervisor point this out to me and tell me how important it was to have hobbies that produced results.  I needed to have that finish in my life.

This got me to thinking about all the hobbies I had abandoned during my schooling.  Also I was frustrated with the amount of weight I put on during my schooling.  And one thing led to another and before I knew what was going on I had downloaded a couch to 5k app on my phone.

I followed it faithfully, it wasn't easy, but it was possible.  Soon I started seeing that I was wishing I was running more days a week, but I followed the program exactly (only running 3 days a week).  Before I knew it I was running a 5k distance and was ready for my first race.

I was so nervous about this race, I wanted to run the entire race and I did not want to come in last.  I was really worried about coming in last because I ran so slowly.  And you know what...I did it, I ran the entire race and I did not come in last.  A 60 year old race-walker beat me, but lots of other people were slower than me.  Lots of people had to walk part of the race, but not me.

I had completed something and it was addicting.

Fast forward a few months and I have now completed three 5k's each time 2 minutes faster.  I am going to run a 10k in two weeks and I am training for a half-marathon.  I had no idea I had this in me.

But I have that satisfaction back.  Running is something where I know if I follow the schedule and do the training I will get better.  Today there is no way I could run a half-marathon distance, but if I stay on my schedule I know for a fact that I will be able to do it in March.  And I love that feeling, that feeling of knowing I will be a different person in a few months. 

So here is my challenge to you if you are a person who doesn't get to see the end result very often (maybe you are a mom?). You have probably have many goals, but pick one that is doable on a schedule.  Pick one that if you do each step you will get better, you will become a different and better person.  It doesn't have to be school or running.  It can be anything, but find something in your life that if you do something towards it every day you are practically guaranteed to be a better person in a few months.  I promise you it will lift you spirits and make life a little easier to get through.

Not all goals are like this.  For example, the goal of keeping the house cleaner.  Sure I can clean more often and enjoy a cleaner house, but it's going to get messy again so it's never really finished.  Find a goal that is finishable.  (I know, not a word, but you get it right?)  There is something, for me, about crossing a line that says finish that is so rewarding.  I completed my goal.  There was a definable end point.  I will continue to run, I will make new goals, but that goal for the moment is completed.  I even got a big sign that says I completed it :-)

Go for it, figure out what it is that is going to make you a better person in a few months and start at it.  See how far you can go.  I will bet you can go farther than you ever imagined.  Right now I cannot imagine ever signing up for a marathon, but you know what....I am doing something I thought was impossible every single day.  Who knows what the future holds for me?  Who knows what I can accomplish.  And that is addicting!