An Object in Motion- My Early Running Days

I wrote this blog Fall of 2020

I live my life by Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, an object in motion stays in motion.  While yes you will find me sitting still playing computer games, checking Facebook, and searching the net or reading I am also usually plotting my next undertaking.  During my doctoral program, the perfect storm occurred to rekindle a past love, my love of running.  I had gained some weight from eating to stay awake to write and lack of movement, I started to look for something to get me moving.  The easiest thing I could do was to start taking walks, about this time my middle daughter joined the cross country team.  While I never ran for a team I used to enjoy running on the boardwalk when I was younger.  A spark started to flicker.  I developed occupational asthma as an adult and figured I would never run again, thanks to the internet I was able to research running with asthma, it was possible!  I bought a medical ID bracelet as recommended by many websites and downloaded a Couch to 5K app on my phone.  It was a slow process and at the end of the app program I still was not running a mile let alone 3, the app was merely getting you to cover 5K.  I signed up for a virtual challenge geared for women, the support and encouragement from these strangers was unlike anything I ever experienced in my life.  Advice from a friend helped me complete my first 2 consecutive mile runs and I have been adding on the miles ever since. After completing 100 intention miles in 3 months for the challenge I signed up for the next one but set a goal to run all 100 miles. It took me about 4 months but I completed that challenge too. On January 1, 2018, I completed my first live race, it was a 5K and my goal was to finish without walking, a goal I completed.  Now almost 2 years later I have run a half marathon, several 5k, a one-mile race, and most recently a 5k with a 10 mile run the next morning.  I have noticed my running time is very prayerful as I know it is only by the grace of God that I can accomplish the feat of running and trust me on those 10 and 13+ mile runs I am praying for the strength for the next step while offering thanks for the step I’m in. While you may not want to run, I am sure there is something in your life you would like to push out of your comfort zone to try.  It can start with one step, something as simple as an internet search about running with asthma is all it took for me.