Hello, my name is Heather, and I like running.
Okay, that was weird. I honestly never thought that statement would ever come out of my mouth!
I have dreadful memories of being forced to run a mile in P.E. every year starting in middle school all the way through high school. (The Presidents Challenge, remember that?) Each time there were the select few, athletes, usually boys (like my husband!), that would clock in a six-point-something minute mile. Then there were those that gave it an honest effort, coming in below ten minutes or so. And lastly, there were people like me. These were mostly girls. You could spot them either complaining very loudly, gripping their cramped sides, or with arms extended over their heads gasping for air. Really, as I got older, I just used this time for social purposes, in trade for sweating off any makeup that may have graced my face. I was a fifteen-minute-mile kinda girl. My P.E. teacher would huff and puff, getting visibly irritated with girls like me, as she took her job very seriously! But nobody was going to make me run, not even the President.
Fast forward.... Even up until this Spring, none of my friends could make me do it either. I've been asked a gazillion times to do those "Couch to 5K" group runs, ask any of them, and they'll confirm it. My infamous quote is "I'd rather starve myself than run". Well, not anymore. I still have a lot to learn, but I have the rest of my life to figure it all out.
And if I could go back and tell my teenage self one thing, it would be, "you can do it!" Never underestimate what you're capable of. Dream big, set your goals high, and put your mind to accomplishing them. I'm learning that anything is possible. Who knew? I like running!
Oh, and speaking of The President's Challenge, I was the "sit and reach" champion of my high school for both my Junior and Senior year. ;)
