I follow @bygracelee, another runner on IG and today, she wrote something that resonated with me.
“I think social media has certainly influenced many people for the wrong reasons: to run multiple marathons within 3 months, or influenced people that marathon training is glamorous, that marathons are meant for engagement purposes and to grow your following, that running marathons are the best way for others to validate / praise you, or that you can run a marathon without fueling properly.
But social media has also influenced many people for the right reasons: to start taking care of their health, to exercise and run, to sign up for marathons and races as a way to challenge themselves. The landscape within the running space has definitely changed...and will continue to change.”
I'm taking a break from races this year for financial reasons and because I need to save my PTO (vacation time) for other things this year. Races are expensive as well as time consuming when it comes to training and needing time off work to attend them. It also requires a lot of adapting to fit one’s schedule to make sure you’re on track with training. You have to be on point with nutrition too. There’s a lot that goes into it. I miss races and I wish I could have time for it in my life but I do agree a lot of that has to do with social media making you feel like you need to go go go. I still work out and run 5-6 days a week and now it's more so for my actual health so I don't always remember or care to always to post about it.
But in the beginning I posted more so to keep myself accountable. I wasn’t posting to brag because let’s be real, there’s nothing ‘impressive’ about my running compared to other runners. I know I’m not fast; I know I’m not the best. The only person I was competing against was myself, continuously trying to improve. I posted to keep myself accountable because when I started, I really did not find myself inspired to get out there and get it done. I would fight myself (and sometimes I still do) in the morning for hours before I finally bit the bullet and did the thing. I posted to track my progress. But then I saw my posts were helpful in inspiring others, which I loved as a side effect of my life. I tried to post about both the good and bad. The honesty of marathon training and running and how it's really hard and a lot of it is mental. Of course the race and medal photos are for the gram but the actual running I realized, was for me.
I’ve always tried to be honest about my life experiences, especially my fitness journey. There are no gimmicks, no promotion of products that don’t really work, no quick fixes, nothing. I am honest about what I eat, how I fuel, when I’m bad, what I do to prepare, how I feel, when I hit walls, when I’m just not feeling it, when I feel inspired to run more and when I need to take a break. I’ve also always tried to be realistic when setting goals. I’ve also prioritized my safety above all else. I’ll slow down if my heart rate feels too high, rather than compromise it for speed and throw myself into a heart crisis. I make sure I stretch, hydrate, rest when needed. I try to minimize and not aggravate any injuries that arise. Your life and health is simply not worth a dangerous stunt for a PR.
I picked up running back in 2018 when one of my best friends encouraged me to try out a half marathon and tempted me into it with pretty Disney medals. And 7 years later, here I am, still running so I guess I really do enjoy it after all. I’ve learned a lot since then and I’m really proud of all that I’ve accomplished since then. Never did I imagine I would do a full marathon, let alone 2, and let a Dopey. Actually back in 2018, I was really skeptical about even completing the half. I really didn’t think it would happen, especially with my knee acting up only 4 months into starting running. But I was determined so I went to sports physical therapy to learn more about how to take care of my body and fix the shortcomings so I could complete this goal I had set out for myself. And then I completed it! I ran a half marathon. And then I ran it again, and again, and again. And then this weekend, I found myself completing a half marathon on a whim when I originally set out to run just 10 miles. It felt really good. I’m not in training mode or anything, I’ve just been running to maintain my fitness level lately and these consistent habits paid off in reshaping my routine and lifestyle. I may not be signing up for any races this year but I’m hoping to keep this up. Maybe I should make it a goal to regularly run at least one half marathon a month. It feels good to be able to go that far and challenge yourself once in a while. It’s a nice reminder I still got it if I need to turn it back up for race training.
As expensive as it is, spending the time and effort into investing in your health and fitness pays off. You learn a lot about yourself and not just the physical parts. A big part of running is mental and a lot of people overlook that. I learned a lot about what the human body is capable of, but also how every person is different and you can not expect the same of yourself as someone else. I learned to trust my gut but also went to push my limits to challenge myself. I learned the importance of safely training and I’ve always promoted that on my journey to others. If you’re starting out running, please remember to listen to your body. Don’t learn the hard way to take care of yourself better. You only have one body and you need to take care of it well.
