I used to be one of those people who sat behind the wheel of my car, looking out of the window and scrunching up my face in disbelief at runners. "Why are they doing that? It's such a waste of time! They look miserable!" Those were some of the thoughts that would go through my head.
In gym class, I was the kid firmly in the back of the pack whose legs would itch from lactic acid build-up and whose sides would cramp up during the dreaded running of the mile. I was never an athlete growing up. Fast forward years later and I'm a runner. So what changed my mind? Why did I decide to give running a try?
I'm still not sure why. Maybe someone challenged me. Maybe I kept seeing everyone running 5Ks. We went to Ocean City, NJ one summer for vacation. I didn't even own a pair of running shoes, but I thought the boardwalk would be a great place to take a little test run (in my Keens??!!). The first day, surrounded by fit-looking runners, walkers and cyclists, I ran a mile and the second day, I managed to run my first 5K. I think that was back in 2015. I kind of ran here and there for a couple of years, but never took it seriously. Then in 2017, two big events rocked my world. First, I lost my grandmother. She was this amazing woman and she lived a very long life, but her passing reminded me that death is a fact of life. I watched her waste away the last couple months of her life. Then a month later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, today she is healthy and cancer-free. Irony is that she hates that I run. She thinks it's dangerous and doesn't understand why I have to run more than 5 miles at a time.
Me and my Wai Po
My mom and me rockin' the denim. I think I'm probably 5 yrs old in this picture.
In all of my research to try to get my Mom back to healthy, the obvious themes of diet and exercise came up. Somehow, research on plant-based eating led me to reading a bunch of books, which led me to reading "Finding Ultra" by Rich Roll and then a colleague (thanks, Matt!) told me he had a podcast, so I started listening to the Rich Roll podcast, which led me to the interview with David Goggins. That was when I decided, not only did I want to run, but I wanted to push myself to run very long distances. I wanted to be mentally tough. At the time, a half marathon was a very long distance to me. Since then, I've run a few half marathons, a couple marathons as training runs, a couple of 50Ks and many running adventures in between. I had started a training block for a 50 miler earlier this year, but my race was cancelled. I'm currently preparing to start a training block in a few weeks for another 50 miler. Not sure which one yet. And with COVID-19, so much is still up in the air. So far, I have not run to my point of failure. I'm hoping I won't DNF (Did Not Finish) at the 50 miler, but maybe I will and I'll pick up lessons to take to my next 50 miler until I'm successful at that distance. What's beyond 50 miles? I really don't know yet, but I like the idea of doing a multi-day adventure with many miles of running per day.
Running to me has been the gateway to a healthy lifestyle. It has turned me into an athlete. It has made me curious about how to optimize my physical, mental and emotional well-being so that I can be a better runner. I used to be an insomniac, but running fixed that. My desire to get a run in most mornings means that I go to bed early and I've figured out strategies to improve my sleep overall. I used to eat whatever I felt like eating. I still do that, to a certain extent, but I now pay attention to how food affects how I feel and how quickly I can recover. As a runner, I check in with myself. I journal because when I write, I can see how I'm really feeling. As a result of the journaling, I feel emotionally and mentally fit. As a runner, I've learned lessons about consistency, grit and discipline that I hope I can pass along to my kids.
When I run, especially out on the trails, I feel wild and free. When I'm bounding over rocks and roots downhill, I feel like a wild animal. It’s a time when my mind is completely focused- on my breathing, form and the sounds of my foot steps. Running of course builds physical toughness, however, it also builds self confidence and mental toughness. It gives me the permission to seek out adventure on any given day, because I can wake up and run at least 10-15 miles if I wanted to. It makes me want to travel the country and the world, exploring the world just on my own two feet.
If you are curious about running, please feel free to read on about some of the things I've learned. I welcome you to reach out to me if you have any specific questions.
Auxier Ridge trail in Kentucky
Ogden, Utah
Route-finding along the Cayuga Trail in Ithaca, NY
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