Facing my fears, one run at a time.

Fear. It is something we all experience as humans. It is what holds some back. It is what pushes others forward.  Every person has the choice to either face their fears and grow stronger or stay stagnate within their comfort zone. My biggest fear is not of failure, but of success. I am afraid to invest in myself, to love myself and to believe that I can achieve anything I work for. Last year I chose to be accountable to me.  I admitted to myself that I am my own worst enemy and I am the only person who can determine my destiny.  I was tired of being afraid, I was tired of making excuses, I was tired of being stagnant. So I chose to face my fears and be accountable to not only myself, but to my future self. I chose to start loving me. 

Before running my first half marathon last year, the only race I ever completed was at my 7th grade track-meet where I received the green ‘Participant’ ribbon for my near last place finish. So why did I start running again almost 2 decades later when I had never been a good runner? Part of it was because I read stories of other ‘non-runners’ who became ‘runners’, so I figured if all of those people could do it, why couldn’t I? Pair that with being brutally honest with myself by admitting and accepting that only my self-limiting beliefs and excuses were the reasons for my life heading down a negative path; and I was hooked. Running teaches me to be accountable to myself and reminds me that I am the only person responsible for how I choose to live my life.     

In September 2013 I ran my first half marathon. The high of finishing your first race is indescribable. The amount of pride I had for myself and the self-love I felt in that moment will forever stay with me. With a little preparation, determination, accountability, and persistence I was able to challenge my inner critic and prove to myself that I am able to accomplish my goals.  I hope through sharing my training journey – the good and the bad – it may encourage others to challenge their inner critics and start believing they too can achieve anything they put their mind to.

I am looking forward to running in the Modo Vancouver SpringRun Off tomorrow and hope to see you there! J