You say you've been running for five years and it seems like you were born with running shoes on, but no, it's not more than five years of running. It's been five years since I first put on running shoes. Many times I have been asked why I started running, especially considering that I was already 45 years old. Yes, yes, 45! A few years ago, few women would have thought of taking up running at that age, but fortunately, more and more women are joining the "it's never too late" mantra and deciding to give it a try.
What I was getting at. When people ask me how I decided to take up running, I tell them that the decision came after one of those moments when we women decide we want to think about ourselves again. Between 30 and 40-something, women forget about ourselves and dedicate ourselves to taking care of our children, our parents, etc.
We go from being Maria, Begoña or Laura to being the mother of, the wife of or the daughter of. We become almost invisible. If we become aware of this and want to change it, a good option is to take up sports that allow us to dedicate time to ourselves. Quality time, time in which no one interrupts us with this and that and we can recover moments to meet again with the woman we were before family obligations. I also lived that situation I describe. When I felt libre I decided to take up again something I had always practiced, sports, but with a variation.
Moving from team sports to individual sports
I moved from team sports to more solitary disciplines such as swimming. I discovered the pleasure of dedicating time to myself, of thinking about things without interruptions and of overcoming goals. Each day a longer distance, each session a longer distance. The day came when I thought about what it would be like to put on a pair of running shoes and go for a run. And I did it. I didn't even have proper running shoes, but I went out.
Then the Reebok brand had launched a women's running shoe, the Easytone. They promised us that if we wore them, our buttocks would rise almost effortlessly and our legs would tone up just by walking. I fell for that misleading advertising. Not once, but twice. Some people ended up suing them for misleading advertising and got their money back. I didn't do it, but if anyone has kept those shoes, let them know that without effort there is no result.
The first day, you suffer
The first day I went out for a run I suffered, of course, but the next day I went out again. Short distance. Chaos, walking and running. I started to enjoy it, especially when I saw that my body changed, I lost fat, toned up, I felt lighter and, most importantly, I felt mentally strong. You notice all this very quickly because running is a very grateful sport. Now I remember those first workouts and I feel happy.
If at that time someone had told me that five years later I would have 9 marathons in my legs, dozens of running friends, a personal trainer, a radio program dedicated to running(MendiRun on Onda Vasca), a published book(You can also be a runner) and I would be writing this post for runnea.com, I would not have believed it.
I would have thought it era an impossible dream to achieve. And you see; here I am with all those challenges accomplished. I encourage everyone to try, to set an achievable goal, to start slowly and vaya increase the distance without worrying about the pace. I especially encourage women. We tend to be our own first boycotters. We immediately start thinking about how I'm going to go out on the street in tights, with this ass I have, with these fatties, with ..... And we stay at home.
Join a running group
Just today a friend of mine wrote me because she had seen a call for La Salve Street Run, an open running group. She has only been running for a short time and her concern is that she won't make the cut. "I won't make a fool of myself, will I? he asked. Of course I encouraged him, I told him that in these groups there are runners of all levels and that in no case will he make a fool of himself. Nobody is going to be watching your pace, or your equipment or anything else. They will welcome and support you as one more.
running groups are a very good option for those who have decided to take the plunge and start running. They must have the same motto as Liverpool fans: "Never walk alone". Another question I am often asked is how I decided what my first goal was going to be. I will tell you about it in the next post. Now it's time to celebrate these five years with my shoes on. Happy kilometers!
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