Madness many said when I decided to take up running at the age of 49, secretly I thought they might be right! I have always had an interest in maintaining a degree of fitnessand so have spent a bit of time playing around at the gym, but I was looking for a new challenge and running seemed like a reasonable option. Whilst I may have been relatively gym fit I had absolutely no running fitness.
Always I have liked the thought of running but unfortunately never found the reality at all enjoyable. I tried on a few occasions over the years to run but found I would end up sore and lose motivation very quickly, as I did not have a support group or the knowledge of how to run. In fact I did not even realise that there was such a thing as running technique. Consequently I gave up and shelved the idea of ever being a runner although I never completely lost the desire to be able to run.
I knew of Colleen's beginner groups and had toyed with the idea of participating in one for quite some time although it was not until June 2009 that I took the plunge and signed up with a "suck it and see" attitude. In the pitch dark and the freezing cold of winter we learnt to run. I was amazed at how much there was to learn (and at how cold it was!!) and even more surprised by how much I enjoyed it.
Whilst I thoroughly enjoy my running and get an immense sense of self satisfaction and achievment from it, at times I have really struggled. I went through a stage where I very nearly tossed it in as not only was I struggling with a recurring injury I could not understand why running was not getting easier. I kept thinking that surely my fitness and technique should have improved over time so that running should no longer be such a tough slog. I was brought to the realisation that it was not my body that was letting me down so much as my mental attitude. Once I calmed my expectations of myself down and learnt to take it one run at a time I again began to enjoy running. A valuable lesson I learnt was that it is not so much how far you have gone but the distance that you have travelled since you started that is important.
My biggest lesson has been to respect my body and it's capabilities or limitations on any given day. There are some days where my body betrays me and I feel 101. On these days I have learnt not to push too hard, just to do what I can and give my body the benefit of a more relaxed workout. I accept that I will have good days where I am feeling great and can push myself and then there will be other days where I know I have to pull back.
As the Gatorade ad says"you can throw in the towel or you can use it to wipe the sweat from your face". I am so pleased that I did not throw in the towel when I was tempted to do so. I now know the reason that running does not get easier is because we are constantly improving so are constantly pushing ourselves that little bit more each time.
When I started a little over 7 months ago I could not run once around the park and now I am excitedly looking forward to starting Saturday runs and gradually increasing my distance allowing me to participate (I won't say compete!!) in my first 10 k run. Methinks running could be addictive!!
Although we can not propel ourselves forward by patting ourselves on the back (unfortunately!!), I believe we all need to be proud of ourselves and our efforts no matter where we are along the path of our individual running journeys. We are out there giving it a go! The sense of satisfaction I get from completing a run, particularly on a day where I have found it quite challenging puts me on a high for the day. What better way to start a day??
In many ways it stems from my appreciation to the GGG club and all its' members that I agreed to take on the role as your secretary. I have found that the support, mentoring, encouragement and friendship that is continually in evidence amongst club members makes for a wonderful environment in which to challenge my physical stamina and mental strength. I consider being involved with such a fantastic, inspiring group of supportive women to be one of my life's blessings. Although I have doubted my ability many timesI have never once doubted my decision to join the GGG.
I am proud to be a runner and a GGG!!.
Happy running.
Jenni
