Overcoming it all, With Running

Your lungs are burning, your quads are on fire, you feel a painful twinge in one knee and are getting a cramp in your side. You can't get out of your own head as you repeatedly ask yourself "why am I doing this?" which ultimately leads to your decision to stop - whether it be on this particular run or with plans of never starting again entirely.

May I introduce you to the early stages of becoming a runner. But wait a minute - that doesn't sound like fun at all. Why should you embrace a form of exercise that will, from what you would assume, leave you out of breath, sore, and is just plain difficult? Because you can, that's why.

We all have a natural running ability within us, and we are all capable of finding and unleashing it. Running will teach you more about your body than you ever thought possible. It teaches you to focus solely on yourself since your body belongs to no one but you; this allows you to remove the comparison to others, and set goals to train in a way that is tailored to your own body's build, genetics, and abilities. It teaches you just how far you can push yourself, and then challenges you to go even farther than that. It tells you when something doesn't feel right (like that knee twinge or side cramp) and reminds you that you have the tools to fix it.

Running is rewarding. You feel your lungs burn a little less with each run. You learn proper running form to fix your quad dominance and knee pain, and feel the strength in your legs building. Each time, you are able to go a little further or a little faster, and each time it gets a little easier. Running teaches you to respect your body, because in order to be a healthy runner, you need to take care of yourself by eating well, hydrating, and balancing strength training. Running allows you to surprise yourself, because for all those times you told yourself "I can't", you find that, in fact, you can. You set goals and reach them. You build confidence along with your strength. Your body gets into shape and you reap the benefits of all the work you've put in. And, eventually, it's not work at all. It's a passion, it's a way of life. The body achieves what the mind believes, as the saying goes, and once you realize you are a runner and that you can do it - you'll be unstoppable.