CLIENT SPOTLIGHT - take a moment to read about Jennifer & her experience with fitness and running: Jennifer Rothar AGE: 35 OCCUPATION: Mortgage Underwriter SPOUSE: Chris If someone had told me 3 years ago that I would be writing about my running I would have laughed at them and said “you must have me confused with someone else!” I have never liked to run. When I was a cheerleader in high school I use to dread when we had to run. I would constantly “forget” that part of warm ups. My brother ran the NYC Marathon back in 2003. I went with my Sister in law and Mom to cheer him on. I was proud of him but had no desire to ever run. Surprisingly, today I can say I am proud to call myself a runner. In the fall of 2012 my good friend Lisa joined this running class and tried to get me to join and I resisted because again, I hated running. But I saw what it did for her and that she enjoyed it. I had a gym membership and was trying to shed some extra pounds so I walked over to the treadmills which were foreign to me and said why not try it. Lisa had explained how her running class started very simple with just one minute of running and then walking. I figured hey I can do that. I do not enjoy the treadmill and found that I just couldn’t keep myself motivated. So in March of 2013, I decided to join a Walk to Run beginner class. I found what I needed in Kiersten. I needed someone to be accountable to, someone who praised me when I deserved it and pushed me when I needed it. Now don’t get me wrong I still hated running! I can remember Kiersten asking me once why I never looked happy in class and I simply said ‘because I hate this.” Nevertheless, I kept going. Each week I was reaching new goals, even if they were very tiny ones. For the first time ever in my life I lost weight easily. I know it’s different for everyone and I’m not sure why running worked so well for me but it did. I said to myself if this will help me lose weight I will keep at it. I also have to say that running proved to be a much needed stress reliever for me. When I left work and ran, I didn’t think about work or any other stressor in my life. Partly because all I could think about is “How much longer do I have to run. Is it over yet? Man I really don’t like this” When I joined that first class I wasn’t even sure if I would run the 5K at the end of 12 weeks. I did run it and once it was over I immediately starting thinking about my next race. I have always been competitive and running gave me the opportunity to challenge myself and strive for a better time each time I went out there. When 2014 began I decided to set my goals a little higher and wanted to run a 10K. I ran my first 10K in May. It wasn’t until I was training for my 2nd 10K in October that I suddenly realized I no longer hated running. Dare I say I even enjoy it! I ran my next 10K on November 1st and shaved 6:30 minutes off my time and was so proud of myself. I still have things I need to work on. I constantly beat myself up for being slow. I was the slowest one in my last class and it bothered me week after week. Running is not about being better then anyone else. It’s about being better then you use to be and running life at your own pace. Some runs will be good ones and some bad. You just have to dig deep to get through the bad ones and then let them go. Running has changed me in so many ways. It has helped me to lose and maintain my weight. I feel healthier both physically and mentally. Running teaches you that you are stronger then you ever imagined and that has helped me immensely in all aspects of my life.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:54:40 +0000
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