RUNNING AWAY

I considered entitling this article, “When Pigs Fly”, since that is when you’d have seen me running. Even then, the pigs would probably have to of been chasing me. Point is, I was never a runner, nor did I ever desire to be a runner. Before a year ago, I didn’t exercise at all, unless you count the occasional speed walking.

It was an overcast day, June 7th 2009 to be exact, that I had gone with my family to the Race for the Cure Walk/Run. It was a fundraiser for cancer research that my husband’s law firm participated in. We proudly wore our Stender|Zumwalt, PLLC T-shirts while lugging our kids in a double stroller. As we started, there was something in me saying, “You have to run this.” Sure, it would have been better to walk so people could actually read the T-shirt… but being a criminal defense firm, running away made sense too. I ran the entire three miles without stopping. Before that day, I couldn’t run half a block without my lungs burning. People ask me all the time what made me start running. At first, I thought it was the feeling of running away from my kids, house, grocery list, etc. The simple truth is, my heart just said, “You need to do this for yourself and for your family.”

After my race debut, I went to the shoe section at Fred Myer and bought a pair of shoes under the “running” sign. I was going to give this running thing a try. It was around this time that my friend Lisa said something like, “Next thing you know you’ll be doing a half-marathon.” I scoffed out loud at the thought and said, “I would never be able to do something like that.” Well, no one tells me I CAN’T do something, not even myself. Almost a year later, I have completed two 5K races, one 5 mile race, and one half-marathon (Picture shown). My last race was a personal best. I came in 8th place in my age division and ran a pace of 8:50 a mile.

Early on in my training, my knees really started to ache. It was brought to my attention that it may be my running shoes. I decided to go to a real running store and ask for a new pair of running shoes. The salesperson took one look at my shoes and said, “Those aren’t running shoes.” He examined me running and discovered I had a pronating foot. After finding the proper running shoes, there has been nothing in my way ever since. Well, not exactly.

One afternoon while going for a four mile run, my pants kept falling down. By falling down I mean, it took my underwear with it and soon enough I was mooning the cars passing by. I thought about stopping but was too determined to get this run in. My left hand was holding my pants and underware up and my right was being dragged by my dog for the entire run. It was quite a sight.

After running consistently four times a week for eight weeks, I went from a size 8 to a size 4. I have never felt more fit or healthy in my adult life. During one of my recent runs, I was thinking of how I should start doing squats since these buns weren’t getting any younger. As soon as the thought popped in my head, a man in his 20’s yelled out his window, “Nice Ass.” It was then and there that I decided to forgo the squats and pick up a peanut buster parfait for dessert. Running really does pay off.

For those of you who would like to join me on this running adventure, let’s begin with what you’ve learned so far. (1) Get a good pair of running shoes. (2) Buy some proper running clothes and (3) Don’t let anyone, including yourself, tell you that you can’t do this. There are so many free training programs out there, Google training schedules and pick the one that fits you best. Many of the beginning programs have you run a little and then walk a little. I preferred to cut to the chase and start running. One piece of advice I got from Runner’s World Magazine that I’d like to pass on, is that you can never run too slow.

As for my training advice, start out slow and begin running three to four times a week, adding a mile every week or every other week, depending on how it feels.  Keep doing this until you reach your training goal.You should also sign up for a race so you'll have a goal that will force you to get out of bed or off that couch. I’m already so proud of you for even considering taking on this challenge. If I can do it, so can you!