The making of a runner…my story.
About this time two years ago I signed up for a program at the Y called Couch To 5K. This program is 10 weeks long and is a group progressive approach to completing a 5K. It started at the end of February to lead in to the Albany YMCA 5K held in April that year. This was the first of six CDYMCA 5K events in our series.
I have never been a runner before this. Low back injuries and asthma have always kept me away from this type of exercise. Besides, at 4’11” tall, I hardly have a “runners body”!
Winter of that year kept me from getting outside to exercise. My regular routine in the gym had become stale and my body had started to plateau. I was starting to see my normal healthy weight of 116 climb to 124 as inactivity and weeks of cold weather kept me indoors.
The program began in February and started out very slow with intervals of walking and running. Little by little there was less walking and more running as we headed into spring like weather. Finally the event was here and I was ready. I was not concerned about my time, what was important to me was that I finished. I can still remember the feeling of accomplishment as I was nearing the end, I felt like a champion!
Running that spring-summer, coupled with a new workout called Tabata (high intensity interval training) was what gave my workout an overhaul. I started to see my weight drop back to a healthy range, my muscles were beginning to get lean and my endurance was through the roof! I was re-energized and motivated to see where running would take me. I ran a few more 5K’s that summer then a 15K and finally a half marathon in September. I remember people commenting to me that they saw me out running and I would correct them and say “oh I’m not a runner, I just jog”. Why was it so hard for me to see myself as a runner? I guess because I didn’t see myself as what I envisioned to be a runner. What I later learned is that runners come in all shapes, sizes, ages and abilities.
Last year I ran another half marathon then finally told myself at 45 years old I wanted to run a full marathon. I believe at any age you need to set goals for yourself, to continue to try to be better, to strive for something that you have to reach for, but IS within reach. On October 9, 2011, at 45 years old I lined up with other runners to complete, yes complete – not compete, the Mohawk Hudson River Marathon. Competitive by nature I had to tell myself over and over I am not competing with my fellow runners, I am competing with myself. My goal was not to beat anyone else to the finish line, just to get to the finish line – INJURY FREE! Four hours-forty four minutes, and 26.2 miles later I crossed the finish line and ran right to my husband’s open arms. I did it, I was a marathon runner. The feeling was amazing, even now, hard to put into words the sense of accomplishment I felt at that moment. I am still running and am registered to run my second marathon on September 15, 2012. I don’t necessarily love to run, but I do love the mental clarity, sense of focus and ability to organize my thoughts that I get when I am out on the road. I prefer to run alone, for me it is a time to think, a time to be creative and to let my mind slow down and process my day.
At the Y I tell everyone and anyone that asks about the Couch to 5K program (scheduled to begin in many CDY branches Feb 21) and how it has changed my life. To learn more about how the Y can help you become a runner, please check with your YMCA branch or email me at ngildersleeve@cdymca.org
My name is Nancy Gildersleeve and I AM A RUNNER!