I Am A Runner And You Can Be One Too!
If you have known me since prior to October 2020, you’d more than likely think I was joking. Aside from a short stint in 2017 when I decided to run a 200-mile relay race from Raleigh to Atlantic Beach with 11 other dudes (and to be totally honest my training for that relay was pretty subpar), running has never really been a part of my life.
My family and I lived in Germany for several years during my late elementary school ages. I moved to Germany a pretty skinny kid, but thanks to all the Kinder Eggs and healthy schnitzel servings at the Schnitzel Factory in Kitzigen, Germany, I came back to the US finding myself a patron of the “husky” section at Walmart and Goody’s. Now, I still managed to be a pretty athletic kid. I played baseball and football growing up. For obvious reasons, I was gifted the name “Big Mike”, which, to this very day, I still really dislike being called. But over time, I used being big to my advantage and eventually found my way to playing offensive line at the D1 collegiate level (although to be fair, I really only made it there because I was pretty good at long-snapping). All throughout my athletic career, I defined myself as many things - strong, smart, agile, a big guy with quick feet. Through all my athletic traits, I never once defined myself as a “runner”. In fact, I would outwardly complain at summer football workouts when our coaches told us to run a mile warm-up around the track. I literally thought the world was going to end when those miles were called.
Now, let’s fast-forward to almost a decade later to October 2020. I had just started going back to F3 in Hickory. And after reconnecting with the dudes there, I decided that for whatever reason, I would attempt to run at least one mile a day for the month of October. I mean, after all, 31 miles in one month wasn’t so bad, right?
Wrong.
After heading over to the local Fleet Feet, getting fitted for the right shoes, and getting a cool new pair of running socks, it was time to lace up the shoes and hit the pavement.
Day 1 rolls around, I throw on the new gear and take off. Filled with adrenaline, I end up completing that mile in 8:14 w/ an 8:04/mi pace.
Needless to say, I felt like I was on the brink of death at that very moment, but somehow, I made it to the next day, and then the next, and then 29 other days. Along the way, I had some rough days.
For example, day 11. I ran 2 miles with an average pace of 11:02/mi. And although on Strava I claimed this was a “recovery” day, I secretly felt my soul being sucked from my body as I slushed through those 2.25 miles
Finally, October 31st rolled around, and I got to check off that last box, knowing that I crushed 31 days straight of running. But something even crazier happened. By just after 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 31st, 2020, I had accomplished one goal, but also got to say that I ran 100 total miles in one month. Never once when I set out to run every day for the month, did I in my wildest dreams imagine running 100 miles on my legs and knees that had experienced so much damage from years of football, in any period of time - much less one month. But after pushing myself outside of my comfort zone just a little bit, I was able to accomplish something I never dreamed possible.
Now, I don’t say any of this to brag. My goal isn’t to get a high five or a “good job Big Mike!”. My purpose in showing you all these stats from the early days of my running life is to be able to say this to you:
I am a runner and you can be one too!
First things first - you do not have to be a runner if you don’t want to be. I am fully aware that not everyone has the desire to run mile after mile. And that is totally fine. However, if you have even the slightest desire to run more, you can. If you have ever wanted to try something different that stretches your comfort zones, you can. If you’ve had the interest to see our beautiful world in a different way, you can.
Here’s how you do it:
Figure out what your limitations are.
Realize that your limitations are just a construct of your own mind.
Remember that limitations are meant to be broken.
Just start.
“Here’s a good saying to remind yourself: Any body that runs is a runner’s body. If you run enough days per year, you’ll see all shapes and sizes of people out running too, wearing all kinds of clothing, from top-of-the-line running gear to old cotton T-shirts and basketball shorts. We’re all runners and we’re all trying to improve just a little bit on the person we were yesterday, or last month, or last year.”
So step one to becoming a runner (or really anything that you want to become for that matter) is to just start. Put one foot forward, follow it with the next one, and soon enough, you’ll be accomplishing things you never imagined.
When I put on those running shoes for the first time in October, I had no idea just how much running would offer me. I had no idea the friendships it would form, the friendships it would strengthen. I had no idea how in suffering through long grueling runs, I would become a better human being because of it.
I had zero intentions of running consistently after October 2020, but here I am now, 9 months later, in the middle of training for my first 50K trail race in September. I got here though because, through the miles of training, I’ve learned that it’s about so much more than just running. And to be totally honest, I still don’t know if I’ve even actually realized what it is all about, but I am enjoying this journey of discovery. And I hope that maybe a few of you reading this blog will be encouraged to do something similar - whether it be testing your limits with running or doing something completely different than you’ve always been curious about that may test your limits and stretch you past your comfort zone.
But before you decide to test the waters, you need to remember one thing - mindset is crucial. When I first started running, I told people that I was a “Wannabe Runner”. I even went so far as to put that I was a wannabe runner on my Instagram bio. But as I reread through Atomic Habits, I realized that my mindset was holding me back. My mindset was shaping who I was, despite saying I wanted to become an ultrarunner. My mindset was slowing me down, keeping me from growing, keeping me from waking up just a bit early to push those miles a bit further.
“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this”
When I started to actually tell myself that I was a runner my running habits got better. I stopped skipping runs when I was tired. I stopped letting my mind talk me out of going the full miles in my training plan. I started pushing more, testing my limits more, and best of all - enjoying the process even more! I decided to make my mental identity resemble the outward identity I said I wanted to achieve.
“Identity change is the North Star of habit change.”
So whatever you want to be, whatever you want to pursue, whatever you want to accomplish, just know that it can be done. All it takes is a simple, yet profound mental change.
And the way to start is easy. Just fill in the blank.
I AM (A) ___________
You can’t see the finish line until you start the race. Focus on that initial first step and the finish line will one day come into perspective. But until then, enjoy the process. Enjoy the journey. Embrace the tough stuff that’s sure to come in whatever you decide to do!
Cheers to being a better version of ourselves - whatever that might be!
“More than half a million people in the United States finish a marathon each year. Almost none of those people do it without running a bunch of miles in the months beforehand. At some point, every person was running zero miles per week.”
Note: I looked up the Schnitzel Factory and according to Yelp it has closed down, so sadly, you’ll never be able to know the goodness that I got to experience as a youngin’. For your viewing pleasure, you can check out some old pictures on their former Yelp page. Brings back some good memories!
