Sometimes when I have a hard time coming up with something to blog about, I search the internet for some ideas and it gets the sparks flying. One of the topics I came upon was “how you got into [hobby] and why you love it.” And you know which hobby I want to talk about with all of you today?? Running!

I’ll be the first to admit that running hasn’t always been my favorite thing in the world. And there are still times where it kind of sucks, but overall, I really do love it.

My parents are very avid runners and really, it’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was little, my dad would ask if we wanted to run with him, and we’d only go a mile or two since I was little and that’s all I could handle lol but I did really enjoy getting out there and attempting to keep up with him.

As I got a little older, I was more into swimming than running and it kind of took a seat on the back burner for a few years. I knew running would only help my swimming, so I’d go for a short run every now and again – but at this point in my life it definitely felt like a chore. I did it because I felt I had to, not because I enjoyed it.

It wasn’t until I was almost done with college where I actually started to enjoy getting out to run, and actually looked forward to it!

I think the tipping point might have been when my parents said they were going to run a half marathon and a marathon in Disney World and asked if I wanted to run too. I mostly just wanted to go to Disney 😂 but I said sure!

And if you know me, I’m not really one to half ass anything, so if I was going to run a half marathon for the first time, I was actually going to train for it and be prepared.

I still lived in Virginia at this point, so I used the training opportunity to not only run around my own neighborhood, but one of my new favorite things to do was to find one of the many civil war trails around Northern VA and run there.

They were so fun to run in. The scenery was beautiful, it was a nice change of pace, and it was an opportunity to just get lost in nature for a while. I don’t typically run with headphones in – I’m crazy I know – and this is where I discovered running was a way for me to be alone with my thoughts for a while.

And I’ll admit that being alone with my thoughts isn’t always the most pleasant place to be 😬 but in another way, it’s like my own kind of therapy. I truly do believe running has helped me get through a lot of tough times.

That Disney half marathon came around and I ran the whole thing with my dad. We didn’t race it by any means, we just took it all in and enjoyed every mile. It was probably the first and last time I crossed the finish line and actually didn’t want to be done. 😂

Ever since, I’ve been hooked on running. Now I’ve run eight half marathons and two full marathons, and a lot of other races in between! I look forward to getting out and hitting the pavement, whether it’s with friends or by myself for another “therapy session.” I truly love it and I’m so glad it’s such a big part of my life.

If running is something you’ve always wanted to do, I highly encourage you to give it a go – and stick with it! If it’s something you’ve never really done before, it is going to be hard at first, and that might make it hard to stick with. It took me a while to get to where I’m at, and like I said, some runs just suck. But it’s so rewarding in the end!

Take it slow at first. Run/walk if you have to. Cross train to build strength in other muscles. There are so many ways to ease into it and build from there.

And as always, come join the Watertown Area Run Club if you need a buddy to help get you out there! We run Sunday mornings at 7am, and Wednesday evenings at 5:45pm, both starting at the zoo. I hope to see you there!

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Nelson