I can do anything

Yesterday I participated in the Iron Girl 10-mile race in Tempe, AZ. It’s my sixth double-digit race (10+ miles) since I got back into running in 2007.

People often ask me why I run and it’s quickly followed by, “I can’t imagine doing that!” Yea, neither could I back then.

In my 20s, before marriage and before motherhood, I ran to maintain my fitness. But it had been years since I’d done any real physical activity because I forced myself to believe what a lot of moms believe, “Chasing my kids is plenty of exercise!” (Uh, that’s a myth by the way.) I attribute my return to running to one of my good friends who happened to fly into town at just the moment I felt my life was falling apart. I was having trouble shaking the blues over leaving my entire life in Southern California to live to Phoenix, so my friend joyfully suggested, “Let’s go for a run to shake it out!”

I laced up my ratty, hadn’t-been-used-in-years cross-trainers and we headed out. That first run, I cried – a lot. Partly because I was so grateful to have a friend willing to see me through my misery. But, mostly I cried because the fat on my legs and butt were giggling up and down so violently and I was mortified by how I’d let myself go. Plus, I was desperately gasping for air, so it’s possible that my mental and emotional faculties might’ve been adversely affected by lack of oxygen.

Since then, my reasons for running have evolved. Initially, I ran to shake the blues. It worked. Then, I ran to lose weight. It worked too; I’ve lost 25+ pounds and am back to my size 6 pre-marriage, pre-motherhood physique – yea baby! Then, I ran to improve. It worked; I ran a 12:29 minute mile in my first race and now I’m down to a 9:28 minute mile (as of yesterday’s Iron Girl). But most of all, I run because it inspires me and shows me that I can do anything.

And if you need to see proof of that, try participating in a race like the Iron Girl (or maybe a shorter 5K) and look around. Yesterday, I ran alongside hundreds of amazing women, with equally amazing stories, who have overcome bigger obstacles than I to prepare and participate in the Iron Girl. As I ran the 10-mile course, there were moments when I wanted to quit early and just walk for a bit. But then, I looked up and saw mothers running with their tween daughters, and thought about how proud my kids are of their mommy. I saw a blind woman being guided along the course by a male friend. I saw women of all ages, races, sizes and abilities hustling on that course!

So, I never stopped. In fact, I pushed myself to go harder (my usual pace is a 10:10 minute mile) not because I wanted to be better than everyone else, but because I wanted to prove to myself, yet again, that I can do anything.

Ultimately, running has become my life’s metaphor. When I think about the things that have made me a successful runner, I see how it can be applied to any part of my life. As a runner:

• I set goals and execute action (training) plans;
• I enlist support and encouragement from my community (i.e. friends, family, etc.);
• I push myself to go just a little bit further and trust that in doing so, I’ll get the results I want;
• I set aside past failures, learn from them and press on; and
• I change what I say from, “I can’t…” to, “I can…“

Running may not be your schtick. It’s not for everyone. But every working mom needs a life’s metaphor – something that urges you to press on even when life is coming at you from all directions and you want to just crumple into a heap and take the beating. You need something that reminds you that “I can do anything,” running or otherwise.

Now stop hanging around on this blog, and go find it!

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Related posts:

1. I am doing it (despite the Gremlin)

Tagged as: attitude, goals, running