Finding the Finish Line

Once upon a time I used to be a varsity collegiate athlete. Now let me preface this tale with the straight facts that I was not built to be an athlete. I may be tall and have a decent amount of muscle but I do not have what one would call an “athletic” build. No one in my family was ever athletic to the extent that they could play a sport in college. But I said so what. I loved volleyball (and still do) and I was determined to continue my playing career as long as I could.

But those days are over. I no longer run around in tiny spandex shorts six days a week, and as a result I don’t think anyone should allow me to run around in spandex booty shorts for the safety of those around me. Keeping in shape has become a problem for me without the required practices and conditioning workouts. But I have not given up hope. I have deemed this summer the appropriate time and place to put my physical health first. So I’m going to train for a race.

Don’t get too excited, it’s just a 5k, no marathons or anything yet. But the race I’m looking at has an obstacle course too so that adds a little excitement right? The point of the matter is I need something competitive to push me to get to the gym. Whether or not I was built to run, jump and hit things is one thing, but I definitely came out of the womb with a huge competitive streak. So I figured to get me moving again, I should harness my desire for competition and train for a race.

The other part of this challenge is having someone to hold me accountable. The last time I tried to train for a 5k my saint of a roommate did her best to make sure I was running every day. She even came and ran/walked the race with me. But now that I know I can finish a 5k, I want to run the whole thing. So I challenged my dad to be my running buddy. I think we will be able to push each other enough to get in shape for this thing when it comes around in the fall.

I think a lot of women lose the motivation to continue to exercise, especially when things start to get busy in our personal and professional lives. But it’s important to think about your physical well being from time to time and set goals, so you can celebrate when you achieve them.

For those of you who might be thinking about signing up for a race too, here’s a link to the one I’m running in October, plenty of time to train. But I warn you, in this one you’re not just running, you’re being chased by zombies! Run if you dare!

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