Run Mama MC

I am not really a super athletic person.  Roughly translated, that means, "I suck at sports."

I can kick your butt at many things so long as they are not sport, game, or intelligence-related. But an athlete, I am not.

From the time I was little, I wanted to be a runner. While I huffed and labored, I would see kids blithely running past me on the school track and I'd think, "Man - it stinks I can't run better. My dang asthma is always holding me back!"

Except, ya know, I didn't have asthma.

What I did (do?) have were really horrible shin splints. For as long as I could remember, I have had a lot of leg pain when I do much more than sit on my bum. Living in a mostly-tile home leaves me sore at the end of each day.  Going to the mall or Disney or someplace that requires a lot of walking leaves me limpy. I don't let it stop me, but I do enjoy whining and getting some sympathy from Mr. Mormon.

After Jackie's Near Death Experience 2008, I looked at my big fat bum and decided something had to change and I challenged myself to run a 5K before the year was over.  In my mind's eye, I wanted to be like those carefree kids running all smooth-and-easy around the track at school.   Knowing it's nearly impossible for my (svelte, trim, often tanned, and extremely long) legs to take the impact of running on the road for any extended period of time, I knew this was a pretty dang lofty goal. For most of you, it'd be no biggie. It should NOT have been a biggie for me, except, I'm a wimp with legs that don't enjoy impact.  I believe I could be a champion in an Elliptical Machine 5K.  But ask me to jog on a road for 3 miles.....gosh - my legs start to ache just at the thought.

Recently, I realized the year was nearly over and I'd not run a 5K.  In fact, I haven't even waltzed or skateboarded a 5K. So I began training and registered myself in the last 5K Mormon-ville was offering this year. 

I googled all sorts of info on shin splints and corrective exercises. Every shin splint-stretch on YouTube has been tried by Yours Mormon-ly.  I had my feet examined at a runner's store here and had them fit me for special shoes to try to alleviate some pain. Still, after a minute of jogging, tears would be welling from the sheer torture.

But I kept on. Because really, I'm one tough broad. I don't have a tremendous number of redeeming qualities - but freakish tenacity is sort of my claim to fame.  Each day I added a few more seconds to my (pathetically slow and painful) jog - until I finally mastered 3 miles of limping on a treadmill.

SHUT UP!  Whodda thunk the chunkette housewife could pull it off?

Then - I was off to the road.  OK - that stunk.  I couldn't run more than 6 minutes at a time on the asphalt.  The pain was so tremendous I almost called Mr. Mormon to come and get me as I didn't think I could even walk home. I gave up for about a week. I figured on race day, I'd just go to my treadmill and limp my 5K there.  I'd pretend someone was cheering for me and that I got the free t-shirt for finishing.  I'd call it a day and save myself the embarrassment and misery.

But eventually, that aforementioned freakish tenacity raised its freakish head and said, "Hey freak - let's try one more time."

So I did.

I kept on trying 

and trying.

And today!

I ran.....

on the sidewalks of my neighborhood....

for 3.1 miles.

I am happier than when I got married...happier than when I met my children for the first time...happier than cruising with Kahlik.

(That's some hyperbole for effect, folks. But I am really happy.)

And I'm sort of proud. It took me forever to do something that probably most of you reading here can do already - or could do in a week - but for me, it was a major accomplishment.

I run my 5K later this month, but I don't know that finishing that will make me any happier than I am today. I conquered my body. There's a lot about this body that doesn't work properly and that gives me fits, and I don't conquer it very often. More often than not, I'm conquered by it as I pop pills to keep me going. But today - I  won. 

Body: 362,000 wins  Mama:1 (but it's the one that I really wanted to count!)