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On teaching myself to run…for me.

Posted by jobo in running and tagged with , , ,

Hi friends!

When my sis asked me to guest post for her while she’s away, my mind was actually pretty blank, to be honest. But today, it hit me. As I stood at mile 11, waiting for our fabulous bloggy friend Samantha to pass us (meeting up with Meaghan, who is supremely awesome!) as she ran the Hampton Half Marathon, it hit me. As I saw the runners whizzing past, at all paces, and seeing some faces scrunched up in struggle, while others had their eye on the prize, I just saw something in their faces: they were running for themselves…above all else, they were running for them, and nobody else. Sure, some were intent on finishing first, or PRing or breaking an old PR, but the common thread was that it was for them. The run. 

And that is something I have very much struggled with over the last year. Why I run. For awhile, I lost sight of that, and ran because I thought I should. And trained for two half marathons because I thought I should, because my sister and my friend Steph were running them, but after a second half marathon that just didn’t go nearly as planned, I knew I needed to throw that book out the window and start clean.

Thus, I proclaimed that I love to run, but I do not love to race. And born from that was my 6-month run challenge (read up on it here) that I built for myself to sustain some distance during the cold winter months (complete with challenging myself to run outside in the cold, something I’d never really done in seasons past) and to maybe even build up my pace a bit from my usual 10mm that I can’t seem to break.

What I didn’t expect to gain from this challenge, now, 3 months in, was this: it has helped me re-inspire and re-capture why I run and more importantly, why I like to run. I’m conquering the breathing problems that have plagued me, I am gaining some speed, I am running consistently, and I have even embraced my aforementioned abhorrence for intervals.

And in the process? I’ve learned to love running again and to ultimately run for me, and only me. In this bloggy world filled with runners of all varieties, it’s so easy for me to get caught up in what everyone else is doing…but for the first time in a long time, I’m really just focused on what I am doing, and nothing else. The way it should be.

And that, my friends, is how I’ve taught myself to run…for me. 

For anyone out there that is struggling with this very thing – running for you and not letting anything else affect that…take it from me, it can be done. I am proof and I am thrilled with how far I’ve come, moreso mentally even, than physically.

So, take that gamble, get your head in the game and figure out why you run, and then just go for it. You’ll probably surprise yourself with what you’re actually capable of when you’re focusing on just you, just running.

Guest Post: Why I run

Posted by jobo in challenge, family, Group Kick, guest blog, runner's high, running and tagged with , , , ,

Kicking off this week’s guest posts while I’m on vacation – picture me floating around the lake as you read this, and yes, be jealous. :)

In all seriousness, I asked Jo to write me a guest blog because, well, she’s my workout companion most of the time (aside from Scott, of course!) and we share SO many goals and dreams, fitness-wise and otherwise, I wanted her to post her version of “Why I run.” Of course, after reading her post, I’m all teary, as usual (call it our sisterly bond!).

So…without further ado – Jolene’s version of “Why I Run.”

When Jess asked me to write a guest post on ‘why I run’ – my first answer to that question was – “Jess.”

She’s why I run.

Partially.

She got me into running kicking and screaming about a year and a half ago and the very first run I did with her, I absolutely hated. In fact, I abhorred it. And I abhorred her for *forcing* me to run. I could barely run one minute straight at one time – and this was ridiculously frustrating since I’m just as much of a fitness freak as Jess is, yet I was huffing and puffing and getting excruciating side cramps, yet she was running like a champ on the treadmill next to me. WTF?

Fast forward to today and now, I want to prove to her – and me – that I am a runner. That I can do it, and that dammit, I will run the hell out of that half marathon in September (if last weekend’s 9+miler is any indication – we got this!).

Why else do I run?

…because it’s always, always, always a challenge for me. And I dig a challenge. Running is more difficult than any other workout – even training for Kick, no joke – for me, because I have to focus on being good at it and it doesn’t come naturally. But that’s why I love it.

…because yeah, it torches some serious calories. That’s why I love it.

…because of the camaraderie. I have some fantastic friends that run (Meg, Steph, the ‘running group girls’ to name a few) and that can relate. That’s why I love it.

…because it’s always an accomplishment. Whether it is 3 miles, 5, 9 or more, it always feels rewarding, I always get a good workout and I’m always dripping in sweat. Now that’s a good sign of a workout that just can’t be beat. That’s why I love it.

And that’s why I run.

I channeled you and Kicked it wicked hahhd!

Posted by jobo in family, fitness, Group Kick and tagged with ,

Before I kick this off  (ha, pun intended) for my sister, who is guest blogging here for the first time ever (woo!), I have to say this. I am SO freaking proud of her for how much she rocked last night’s Kick video assessment! She was strong, powerful and fierce – and funny – all despite the room feeling like it was about nine jillion degrees! I, in turn, channeled her energy, and went ALL OUT in class last night, seriously kicked harder, jumped higher and punched harder than ever. Even SHE noticed it from the stage which for some reason strikes me as hilarious (why was she paying attention to me, she had a job to do!).

But now, without further ado…I’ll let my sister tell you the rest. Thanks Jo!!

(and PS. I didn’t read her post before writing this foreword and now I’m totally teary, she wanted ME to be proud of her? Awww…ok sorry, carry on, hehe).

My first guest post – finally – for my sister – and I couldn’t be more excited to share my experience with my Group Kick video assessment with you! I wrote a brief post on my blog, about my experience, overall, but had a few more thoughts worth sharing, from a more hardcore workout perspective (for all of you wonderful workout-a-holics! Love it!).

So, here goes.

I came into this taping with a few things in mind – the usuals, like getting through it, not screwing up, or uh, passing out, but I also wanted to one important thing -

Make Jess proud.

And, channel her…channel her for the areas she was stressing about in her assessment (which, I might add, I did too, in terms of miscounting a few cues etc) and accomplish the thing that she’s thisclose to accomplishing herself – scoring a class based on our assessment and performance.

And, I think (and hope!) I did that last night.

It was actually the very first time I didn’t think.

I just went for it.

I “let myself be great” for the first – and most important – time…when it really counts. And seeing my sister beaming from the class gave me the energy and stamina to keep going. And, I couldn’t help but laugh inside watching her Kick it wicked hahhhd (for those non-New Englanders – that’s “hard” to you – lol), because she too was throwing herself into it. It was awesome.

I’ll never forget last night, as just about the hardest thing I have done in my fitness “journey” – harder than my very first 5K (which was extremely difficult for me as a newbie runner at the time), or my first 5-miler race, or even any of my first Cathe workouts. This. Was. Intense.

But I am so proud of how far we have both come since last December – it’s been an amazing journey and I wouldn’t change a thing…especially experiencing it with Jess, one of the only people that truly “gets” me, in all of my fitness fanatic ways :-) XO!