***************
Why Am I Running the Broad Street Run?
I have the desire, the strength, the confidence, and there is just no stopping this gal, so I am running the Broad Street Run! It may have taken me 40-some years to find running, but there is no turning back now. It has changed my life, and each day, it gets better and better.
It is very hard for me to remember a time when I was not overweight. I was always overweight, and not just a few pounds, but seriously overweight. About ten years ago, my journey to a new life and a new me began. I have since lost 75 pounds and kept it off for almost three years now. Running was key to getting to my goal weight and to maintaining that goal.
If anyone had told me during the first 40 years of my life that I would be a runner - and that I would actually enjoy running, I would have said they were losing their mind. However, that is, in fact, what has happened.
It began when I decided that I would challenge myself to see if I could run a mile. I went out to the park, got on the track and started to run. Well, honestly, it was more like a fast walk, and I had to stop at about the halfway point so that I could breath, but then I continued on and finished the mile. I was really proud of myself that day. That was the first time I had stepped out of my comfort zone and I had done it. From there, I never looked back. I began to run a few times each week, just trying to go a little further, a few more steps.
I ran my first 5K that year. Even then, after feeling so great about accomplishing that goal, I didn't really consider myself a runner. I remember often saying oh, yeah, I'll run 5K's, maybe a 10K once, but that's as far as it will go. But the more I ran, the more I changed. I became much more confident, outgoing, no longer hiding behind the food and the weight.
About two years ago, I met someone who would turn out to be not only a great friend and mentor, but my running buddy. We began running together on weekends, starting out at about 3 miles and adding distance every week. At 8 miles, she told me, you know, if you can do 8 miles, you can do a half-marathon. So we signed up, and in October 2011, we ran the Atlantic City Half-Marathon. I can't remember ever feeling so good about myself. It was the best day ever!
Last month, she took me for my very first run on Kelly Drive. That was such a great run , and yes, I couldn't help myself. I ran up the iconic steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum after running 8 miles! What a great place to run! And because my father was from that neighborhood of Philadelphia, that first run on Kelly Drive has special meaning, and it will always be a favorite for me.
We're now registered to run the Bucks County Half-Marathon in April, the Broad Street Run in May, and yes, I have decided that I want to go for the big guy and run my first full marathon in 2012.
Running has changed my life. It was like a door opened, and when I ran through it, I discovered so many more things that have just enhanced my life so much, new friends, new activities, and an ever growing self-confidence.
I will be running the Broad Street Run in memory of my father, who died of cancer in 1995. My father was always very concerned with my weight when I was growing up. I can remember him repeatedly telling me to take the weight off while young, because it would be so much harder as I got older. Sure wish I understood that then. It makes me sad to think that he never got to see me take the weight off, that he's not alive to witness what I have and continue to accomplish.
So, Dad, this one's for you! I love you and I know that you'll be there with me on May 6th as I run down Broad Street and cross that finish line.
