I am not a runner. I can’t. I don’t know how.

That sounds weird, but I never have known how to run. No high school running. Not even occasionally. And the older I got, with two kids, an awful commute, a love of food and a very comfy couch, the idea of running became as foreign a concept to me as competing in an Ironman.

I knew runners. I saw them on TV while sitting on my comfy couch. I passed them while on my long commute. I saw them pass by while I was playing with my kids. I knew I couldn’t do it. And the idea scared me. I worried about my kids getting too far away from me because I knew I wasn’t able to run after them. I didn’t have any major injuries preventing me from running. Nothing stopping me except, well, me.

And then my friends started posting on Facebook about running. My friends. They were talking about 5ks and, in one egregious betrayal, a marathon. What? They had the same number of kids as me. They had commutes. They loved food. And there wasn’t anything wrong with their couches. They were running. They were runners.

I saw these entries as a challenge. If they could do it, why not me? So I started slow, but I had no clue what I was doing. I didn’t ask for advice because I didn’t want anyone to know. I put on sneakers that had only seen sporting events from the cheap seats and walking at night with the family. I jogged a little and walked a little. I made small goals like “from here to the mailboxes.” And it was hard. I was alone.

But everyone starts somewhere, and all these runners went someplace. And then the postcard came in the mail. The Gazelle Sports postcard for a sidewalk sale. I was sure that with better shoes, I would figure everything out. I put aside my body insecurities. I ignored the nagging voice that reminded me of the couch. I even had to work through some shame that I didn’t know how to run.

I walked into Gazelle Sports slightly intimidated, but determined. I was just buying shoes. How hard could it be? And then I met Nikki. I sheepishly described to her my sad attempts at a jog/walk routine, how often I was doing it and how far I went. She didn’t laugh or judge. The amazing marathon runner that she is, she wasn’t patronizing or belittling. She seemed to want me to join this “club.” She seemed to want me on the team.
I mentioned to her that I thought I might work up to running a 5k in a year. She then mentioned that Gazelle Sports had a running program that would be perfect for me where you would train to run a 5k in 8 weeks. 8 WEEKS!

I met Michelle Staal, who runs Gazelle Sports’ Community Programs. She said the group would be a great fit for me and showed me a program for the Race for the Cure 5k. With family members affected by breast cancer, I knew it was a worthwhile cause and something I should at least try to accomplish.

1-2-3-4-5-6

So, I got the schedule and took my new shoes with me to the meeting at the track. My first time running with the group seemed pretty easy. As the times crept up and we were running more and walking less, I always approached the next goal with the same thought. I can’t do it. I’ll just walk if I have to. But Michelle and the other leaders were so supportive. They didn’t care if I was dead last in the group that day and lagging far behind. They stayed with me and helped me push to meet the goal. I was never the fastest or most excited to run, but I was determined. If I was able to run for 12 minutes, why not 14? As the weeks before the race got closer, I was running better, but I was still so scared. We ran more than 2 miles quite a bit, but a 5k was more. My body started rebelling a bit, so I didn’t run the last week before the race. I was registered, so I couldn’t back out. And I didn’t want to. I wanted to cross the finish line. I wanted to see if I could do it.

Michelle was there for the race. As it was my first 5k, she graciously offered to run by my side the entire race. I was nervous and excited. We started slowly, with people flowing past me. But I kept running. I ran the course, which seemed long and arduous. When I slowed, Michelle slowed. She was encouraging me before I even knew I needed it. She stayed by my side the whole time. She was patient with me when I finally had to walk. She helped me set the small goals and celebrated when I met them. And when the finish line came into view, she cheered me on. I was crying as I ran across the finish line. I was thinking about the commute, the two kids and the couch. I was thinking of all the times I said I couldn’t. I couldn’t believe that in 8 weeks, with the support of Gazelle Sports and the teammates I made at Gazelle, I crossed the finish line of my first 5k. I was no longer a “can’t.”

I could. I ran. I’m a runner.