Reluctant Runner

On Sunday I do the Grape Run – the first half marathon I ever did – exactly a year ago…

With this landmark coming up I’ve been thinking about the past year (I tried not to because it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long – but I failed) and what I’ve achieved.  It’s been a pretty hectic year for me career wise, emotionally and financially and to be honest I’m not sure I would have weathered it as well if I hadn’t had such a massive goal to work towards. 

Yes I complained about running monopolising my time, it was the cause of some pretty substantial physical pain and I managed to blame it for everything that didn’t go right in my life – but it is also responsible for my biggest accomplishment.

This is what I have learned over the past year:

• I proved to myself by training, participating and finishing the Comrades Marathon – that I can do anything I put my mind to, which is empowering in so many ways.
• Blogging has been my outlet for running frustrations and indirectly some of my emotional turmoil (which is for another type of blog all together) and has put me on a new career path I hadn’t even considered.
• Fundraising is not only easy but immensely fulfilling and is something I’d like to carry on with into the future.
• The ability to run and motivate others is infectious, and I seem to be good at it.
• Not to take myself too seriously because it forms barriers against having to pee behind cars and bushes in a race – and not care if anyone is looking.

Moving Forward
I realize now that I’m not really the “Reluctant Runner” anymore – although I most certainly started out as one and some days still feel like that person, but I’m going to have to shift my focus a little where this blog is concerned. 

I’ll fill everyone in on my plan in the next week or so but for now I’m going for a run – coz I want to…

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