In 2009 I started running. Not because I really wanted to run, but because I thought it was at least something I could do on my own. It was my second attempt, my first was some time around 2002 or 2003. The main reason was because I thought it would help me lose weight. It did, but not really.
Now that it’s 2023 and I have this whole-what-feels-like-a-lifetime of running behind me, I can say I learned a few things:
- Running isn’t the key to weight loss. Movement and food go together.
- You may never be “fast”. it’s all relative.
- Committing to training and races actually teach you things you can use in other areas of your life.
- You don’t have to be thin to run.
- Sometimes it’s hard not to compare, but never forget that comparison is the thief of joy.
As of writing this, I’m 54 and have been struggling a lot with running and my body for the last several years. I’m still in menopause and there’s no way to know when it will end. Things on my body hurt. I don’t sleep well. My weight is close to where it was when I started. I could feel defeated or I can just carry on.
So I choose to carry on. I thought after the Chicago marathon (October 2022) I would just stop and consider my running days over, but I’m not ready yet.
In addition to running, I love walking, biking and I’m pushing myself back into my total-fit mindset again. I’m also the Event Director of our local parkrun, I am involved in an empowering local Ladies Group, I happen to be married to the best person in the world I could have only dreamed about, I have 4 cats and I live in the beautiful green city of Arnhem, the Netherlands even though I am originally from the United States.
Ask me anything, I’m an open book, I just don’t want to write a book here on this page and drive people away before they even get started!