On the eighth of this month I had my three year anniversary. What was it for? Well it was for running. It has been three whole years since I have made a commitment to myself to keep running and to not let anything keep me from treating myself and keeping myself in shape. I have been able to keep up with that commitment and I am so happy about it. Of course it has been longer than that since I really gave running a try but the three years are for being consistent. Consistency is key when it comes to this sport. If you don’t keep up with it then you won’t be able to keep a good pace. 

When I did my first run three years ago I was running a twelve minute mile and I really thought that the sport was terrible. I didn’t want anything to do with it and I really was sure that I was going to just forget about it. The first three months were terrible and I was really struggling with my ability to keep going. My motivation was so low and I was not sure how to keep pushing myself. It took a while but before I knew I found something to keep me going. 

I want to say what I found was a companion to keep running with me. I want to say that it was something magical but to be honest with you it was just myself. It was my own confidence and stubbornness that kept me running. I realized what path I was going down if I didn’t keep going and I made a promise to myself to keep going. To keep working and striving to be better than the previous me. I worked my butt off and kept pushing myself and within six months I got my time down from a twelve minute mile to a nine or ten. Really that’s huge. I was pushing myself in ways that I never thought were possible and because of that I eventually made myself do a half marathon. I wanted to do better. I wanted to be able to say that I did something that felt impossible to me. I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror and be proud of myself. 

Running has given me a confidence that I never knew I had. It has given me strength and has taught me a discipline that I never thought was possible. 

I am excited to see how far I can go and to see what else I can do in the running world. So cheers to another year of running, conquering my own insecurities and getting stronger than before.