About a year and a half ago I decided that it was time for me to lose weight. I was tired of not fitting into any of my clothes and looking sloppy in the ones that I did. I hit the gym really hard for a few months, but after I hit my goal(fitting into my swimsuit) I stopped. Then I happened to stumble on a blog created by 2 black women. Coincidentally the blog was called Blackgirlsrun. I went back to their page daily. I had never even considered moving faster than a power walk. I never really saw any women of color running outside, nor did I know any. The idea was completely revolutionary to me. Of course the fact that it was a "radical" form of exercise intrigued me. I researched running in my spare time. I know it sounds kind of silly to research such a natural thing but I knew nothing about it. I had no idea what kind of clothes I needed, shoes to wear, or what to do during. When I collected all the information I could I set out to find a good running shoe. I think at this point most of my friends and family assumed that it was another hobby that I'd soon tire of. But from the moment I put those Nike Pegasus' on my feet I felt a newness taking hold of my spirit! I started running intervals 4-5 times a week. I really thought I was doing something! Then I got some awful virus that knocked me off my feet for a couple of weeks. After that my focus swayed to other things.
I tried to get back into running but it just wasn't there anymore. Until May of this year. I went down in the gym and forced myself on a treadmill. I told myself to only run as long as I felt and surprisingly that was an entire mile. I was so proud of myself. Never had I ever ran an entire mile without stopping. I started running everyday. From that point on I officially considered myself a runner. I even began waking up at 6 am to get my run in. Slowly my distance increased and I decided to set goals for myself. The first was to run a marathon shortly after my 26th birthday. I realized that that date was over a year away so I decided to tackle an 8k before the year was up. Most people thought I was crazy! I had never attempted anything so physical in my LIFE! I knew I had it in my somewhere. I just had to pull it out.
Through my weight loss journey I developed a love for running. I'm so glad I did. Somewhere along the way it became less and less about loosing weight and more about just enjoying the ride. I never would have Imagined that there was any sport that could make me willingly active. When I run I feel a sense of freedom and empowerment. I am strong, no matter what life throws my way. In my few months of running I have dealt with a bevy of issues, both physical and emotional. The lessons I have learned while pounding the pavement have enabled me to pull through these issues because in a way I have become unbreakable. Follow me along this journey.
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