Run, Forrest, Run!

I’ll be honest, I’ve never liked running. I truly believe my fear of running began in the 4th grade when Jennifer Carlisle beat me in a 100 yard dash. Yep, you can imagine how traumatic it can be for a 10-year old boy to lose a race to a girl in front of his classmates. To make matters worse, I had a crush on Jennifer Carlisle. Needless to say, I never talked to her again. I mean, come on, what little ego I had at the age of 10 was completely destroyed.

7 months ago, I woke up one morning and decided it was time to put the “Jennifer Carlisle race” out of my memory for good. I put on my running shoes. It was a bold move for me. I’m not in 4th grade anymore and I honestly couldn’t run on a treadmill for more than 10 minutes before I had to shut it down. However, I was determined to incorporate running into my weekly routine. For the first month or so, I did all of my running on a treadmill. At first, I was running for 10 minutes and then walking for 10 minutes. Gradually, I was able to run for 20 minutes and then it turned into 30 minutes. As February rolled around, I started to get hooked and made a decision that has changed my life for the better. I signed up for the Augusta Half Marathon. What was I thinking? I kept hearing these voices in my head, “Dude….you’ve never even run in a 5K and now you think you can do 13.1 miles?? Are you nuts?“  I started to panic a little bit so I decided to get some help with my new ambition.

First, I bought a book that helps beginners with Half Marathon training. I read the entire book on a plane flight to Vegas in March. The book answered every one of my fears I had about running and I was motivated more than ever to train for the marathon. At this point, I made a promise to myself that when I entered a race, I would never stop and walk. Walking would never, ever be an option.  I also realized that I needed to get off the treadmill and start running outside.

I soon discovered that Augusta had its own running club, The Augusta Striders. I joined the club and I was, as they say, off and running. More than 100 members strong, the Striders have a number of scheduled group runs during the week. It’s a great group and they don’t care how fast or slow you are (thank goodness for me!). The Striders run everywhere and thanks to them, I’ve really discovered what the Augusta Canal and North Augusta Greeneway are truly all about. You won’t find a more tranquil setting than running along the Augusta Canal at 7 AM. The Augusta Striders also update their members on when and where local races take place. Since March, I’ve run in a number of 5K and 10K races and I can’t tell you how much it helps to run with people who encourage and motivate you. Recently, I just completed the longest run of my life (7 miles) with the Striders. There is something about running with a group that pushes you to do more than you think you can actually do.

I’m sharing my story with you because I believe there are many people out there, just like myself, who never thought running could become such an important part of their life. I’m here to tell you it can be done. And if you see me running along the canal or on the greeneway, please wave and say hello. Just know I won’t be stopping…..until I’m finished.  Take that Jennifer Carlisle!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE AUGUSTA STRIDERS: http://www.augustastriders.com
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