Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I subscribe a blog called B!tch Cakes. Her most recent post was a great one - two stories about people who live to run, but were not "born" that way.

Reading their stories got me to thinking about all the runners we have on LIF. To be honest, I thought a lot of you were born runners, but when seeing the old c25k post I realized - wow - some of you started with that...

I thought this may be a good post to motivate those of us just starting out.

TIA!

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

My dad is a runner. He inspired me to run.

Originally I wanted to run a half marathon...everyone said I couldn't do it. So I signed up for the 10k instead. I was able to do that and later on did 2 half marathons. I love running and working out!

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I never ran until I was 26. I never thought I would or could run any distance. I joined a gym, would work out on the treadmill but got bored with walking & decided to pick up the pace, little by little. I signed up for a few races & that motivated me to work on my speed & distance. I love doing races of all distances & recently ran a marathon. I'm not the best runner & sometimes I get lazy with my training, but I really do enjoy it & the benefits it has brought me mentally & physically. DH runs with me & it is a hobby we both enjoy & bond over.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I was the worst runner ever until c5k years ago. I stop running for periods of time and once I even repeated c25k to ease back in. It's not much of a story but I was a horrible runner my whole life and now I find myself running with ease, although my pace isn't too great for long distances.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I was always physically active as a child, but in the form of dance and gymnastics classes. When I was 23 I moved to Washington DC to attend graduate school and knew absolutely no one there. I saw an ad on the subway for a marathon charity training program (like Team for Kids) and thought it might be a good way to meet people. It was, and 6 months later I had some cool friends and ran a marathon. Though I don't really suggest to anyone else going from zero to marathon in that short amount of pain. The race was a world of pain! I'm glad I did it though and I've run 3 more marathons, plus lots of shorter races since.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

Thanks for sharing, this is so true.

I am a great example of this...a long time ago....About 8 yrs ago i did WW, lost 40+ lbs and right when I got to goal I got into running.

I had a friend who was a cancer survivor and wanted to run a half marathon for the leukemia and lymphoma society and wanted me to do it with her I had lost the 40+lbs with WW...i thought this would be a great goal and a great way to support my friend. I was a smoker too.... and basically the Team in Training ( for LNL) gave us a schedule for several months. I went from never running a day in my life to running my 1st half marthon in 2:04. I got into running and loved it... ( and after I reached a few miles...I Quit smoking too!!).

I have stopped running long distance for awhile now. I rejoined WW- and need to lose a lot of weight. I am hoping once I hit a certain point I will get back into running longer distances. Right now all I can do is about 1.5 miles.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I didn't start running until I was 30 years old (2 years ago). I could barely run for 60 seconds when I first started the Couch to 5k. A year and a half later I ran the NYC Marathon. Never in a million years would I have thought I could do that! Running really has changed my life and I'm looking forward to tackling NYC again this November!

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I started working out to change my body after LO#1. I did pretty much all of Jillian Michaels DVDs. After 6 months, I signed up for a 5k having done no training at all but knew I was pretty fit in the cardio department.

I finished that 5k in under 40 minutes, which isn't bad....but the experience at the race was addictive. Runners are really welcoming people. Back of the pack runners get lots of love from the crowd and so I signed up for another 5k and did couch to 5k to build up my running endurance. Then I did Stroller Strides 5k running group. After a year of running, I ran the LI Half Marathon in 2010.

And now after LO#2, I'm starting over again. I couldn't keep running during my pregnancy due to crazy morning sickness and then doctor's orders, so I'm doing Couch to 5k again. Right now I'm on Week Day, day three (tomorrow).

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

great blog!! very inspiring!!!

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I would probably fit into the "born" runner profile. I started at 12, but definitely burnt out at times from coach and team pressures.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

i didn't even know people ran for fitness when i was really young.
i was never athletic, not an athletic family etc.
i started running in my early 20's b/c my then boyfriend (now DH) ran-so i followed him to the track!
15 yrs, a few 1/2 marathons, and 5 NYC marathons later i am a runner (albeit a slow one!:)
but i can't imagine my life without it! i missed it terribly when i was pregnant. it keeps me sane.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I'm not a natural born runner - I SO don't have the body for it. I don't have an athletic bone in my body, I'm curvy and just not at all graceful.

But, my brother, who is even less athletic than I am, ran the NYC marathon about 10 years ago. I figured, hey, if he can do it, I can at least run a little. So, in my mid-twenties I started running. I ran 4-5 days a week, but only a few miles. When I started law school though, it came to a screeching halt.

I didn't start back up until very recently. I hit a plateau in my weight and wanted to do something to really amp up my metabolism so I started the C25k in the fall. I immediately fell back in love and have been running ever since, and recently ran my first 5k. In late June I'm going to start seriously training for a half marathon.

I still don't consider myself "athletic" and I run ridiculously slow. But there really is just something so exhilerating about running. I love how I use virtually every muscle in my body and really have to tune into my body to hit a groove.

Good luck!!

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I started running after having 3 kids in 13 months. In my opinion it is the most efficient way to exercise and loose weight.

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I was not born a "runner"...I have to work hard just to be a "jogger!" I have been jogging for 10 years off and on. I do not have the runner's body nor do I have the mental capacity to be a runner. I tend to be more of the type that psyches myself out. This keeps a me a jogger

Re: Not everyone was born a runner....what's your story?

I think I am one of the "born" runners. In HS my soccer coach told me to quit soccer and go for XC instead . The following year I switched to XC and was pretty good. I also ran winter track and played LAX in the spring. Kinda slacked off during college... but anytime I decided to run again I could just pick up where I left off. Even after I had the twins and not having done any exercise for a year, at 7 weeks post partum went out and ran 2 miles. The following week was up to 3 miles and 2 weeks later up to 4 miles. I am not an amazing runner but ENDURANCE comes naturally to me.

Message edited 5/12/2011 10:04:37 AM.