Hi runners of Steemit! My name is Michele and I am running - not sure I'm comfortable with applying the title "runner" to my name, so for now I'll just say I'm running. I don't do very long runs, and I don't run every day. But I run for health, I run for clearing my mind and I run as often as I can.
Back in my kid days I was quite a talented runner. I competed for a few years, but as I got older the pressure started building. People were expecting me to win, I was expecting me to win, and as I was picked to compete with some of the best my age, my enthusiasm dropped. I started faking injuries. My surroundings got annoyed - no-one realized I was just a teenager with low self-esteem, not being able to handle the pressure of success.
So I quit running. And started playing football/ soccer instead. Lots of running, but no individual pressure - in football you win or loose TOGETHER. It's safe to say I was more talented in positioning myself than actually handling the ball, but that was fine by me.
Fast forward 20 years and I have been in and out of different sports, not really being active on a regular basis. Especially after becoming a mum 10 years ago, my activity level dropped to close to zero. There simply wasn't any time between working full-time, being a mother and life in general. It never worried me much though. I always had it at the back of my mind I could take up running again at any given time, Me; being such a talent in my youth!
I just didn't have the inclination to...
Well, let me tell you what a BUMMER it was discovering the actual truth: I had truly and utterly and completely lost the ability to run. I was turning 40, hit the dreaded crisis head on, and started running. And I hated every second of it. In my head, running should come easy to me - in reality, I felt I was going to die every time I made a round, even short ones. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't get over the hate phase.
But working in front of a computer all day long, I knew I had to be active of some sorts, and my youngest had recently taken up tennis. It looked great fun, and when her trainer told me the club was starting a course for adults, I jumped at it. And I loved it! It was so much fun! But I got tired, really tired from not moving about much. Something had to be done - I had to get in shape if I were to keep up on the tennis court. So I dusted off and strapped on my hated running shoes and I ran.
And you know what? I didn't hate it - I'm not saying I enjoyed it, but I didn't hate it. I ran those hills thinking "tennis, tennis, tennis", again and again. Slowly, my form got better. Slowly, my mind shifted from hate, to acceptance, to pride, to enjoyment. I have discovered I no longer run for the tennis; I run for the running! I have discovered I can run, that I enjoy running, and that I long to run on the days when I'm not able to.
So here is where you good Steemit-runners come in. I come here humbly looking for inspiration to continue, to advance. I have now run with a serious intent for little over a year, and I am thrilled in having discovered a runners' society on Steemit. I hope to find loads of inspiration here, and I hope you'll want to come run with me.
Here's a few photos from my run today:
Finally the snow is gone so I can run on the trails and not just the paved roads
Can't wait till the leaves fill the trees
Today I ran on the grounds of the local golf course - it's still closed after winter
Getting ready for today's run
Thanks for reading!
-lil-mich
Welcome to #runningproject, it's a great community. Love the pictures of your trail runs - I find it really inspiring to read about other people's running experiences.
thanks @shanibeer - it's good to be here :) I'm glad you liked my photos. I do of course have some idea about how fast I run, but running for me is not about times and laps and speed. In fact I try very hard not to pay much focus to it, as I find it stresses me more than motivates me. So running for me is about getting out of doors, enjoying nature. So there will be more photos from my runs in the future. :)
Yes, me too 😎 It was an unexpected pleasure how nice and how uplifting running is. I use walk meter because I'm building distance and I've learned it's better to stay within distance if I want to do anything else in the week, but I'm totally confused by all the other numbers!
Will use this tag as soon as I get started ;-) great stuff!
Always nice to meet a new runner at steemit!
See you in @runningproject !
Hi :) nice to meet you too - looking forward to follow your runs :)
Welcome to the club! You sure look like a 🏃🏽♀️. Let us know if you have any questions as you get back into a routine. We have a good group that shares ideas on the @runningproject discord channel.
thanks @cstrimel for your compliment :) I think the fact that I've always been slim, even when not training, has made it all the harder for me. I somehow convinced myself I didn't need to be active, as I was fit anyway (which wasn't fit at all, only slim) . But I was deadly wrong and I let it slip too far because of this silly excuse. It made it really hard to get going again, but now I know better! :)
Oh no! I apologize that it sounded as if I was commenting on your body. (I follow a pretty hard rule against that!) I meant that your run report, and your fancy running ensemble :), definitely makes it look like you’re a legitimate runner!
LOL - sometimes things come out differently from what we intend, or it is received differently from what we intend. Especially when it is in writing. No offence taken though, but good rule to follow! It's nice to meet you. :)
I think it's all too common to become fat and unfit after becoming parents - at least for those of us being office workers.
hehe I think you are right @tobixen, it is common. On the other side perhaps it's not such a bad thing, after all, suddenly someone else needs to be priority number 1, and we as parents need to come second-hand. :) it is quite good to be able to prioritize myself a little now that the kids are over that toddler stage. :)
Of course, the kids needs should always be prioritized, but still ... anyone that has taken an airplane has probably heard ...
The rationale is very simple, if you pass out due to lack of oxygen, you won't be able to help neither the children, yourself nor the neighbour. General fitness is another thing, but if one doesn't take care of personal health, one may end up not being able to take proper care of the children either.
I had more than one year with really bad back pains (herniated disk). For most of the period I couldn't sit for more than some few minutes (meaning that driving a car, biking, sitting by the laptop, taking an airplane, going to a theatre or cinema was pretty much out ... and it could be awkward at meetings, when visiting people, dining, etc), lifting kids was not advised at all, but hard to avoid sometimes. At the very worse it was painful both to sit, walk, lie and stand ... almost all I could do was swimming. When it comes to work and money, social security standards are quite good here in Norway, I had a partial sick leave but got paid 100%. However, being a good father and do even simple things as taking my daughter to the kinder garden ... and then aiding her to change clothes after arriving there ... that was a bit challenge!
I've been biking, for pleasure and transportation, throughout my childhood and youth - and when I bike, I bike fast. In adult age, there has been times that I haven't been biking at all. Getting on the bike after a long period of not biking is always a displeasant shock.
Well, I'm cheating a bit those days, with the electric bike. On flat roads I can easily cruise in 26 km/h without much efforts, in the uphills I spend as much energy as I can - but I get over them quickly, without getting completely exhausted.
I've never tried an electric bike, but I see them around a lot. They must be great for transportation. I should bring out my bike more often, but for work I commute to another town, and it's way too far for biking. :)
Dear @lil-mich with this post you have been qualified to be an “Approved” Runner of @runningproject.
Now is your turn, transfer 1SBD or 1 STEEM as “Enrollment” Fee to @runningproject in order to enter in our “curation” list.
Resteemed by @runningproject
yay! :)
Enrolled as an ‘’Approved’’ Runner.
@runningproject quote
Own it. You’re a runner! Speed or distance don’t matter. If you get any enjoyment at all and it sounds like you do, you are a runner.
LOL - okay I'm a runner! :)
Enda en løper fra Norge, så utrolig gøy! Når jeg ser bildene dine lurer jeg jo nesten på om vi bor i samme nabolag? Det var noe veldig Østmarka over dem...
hei hei, hyggelig å møte deg - nei, dessverre dette er ikke Østmarka. Det er fra Marum i Sandefjord, nærmere bestemt Sandefjord golfbane :) Men det er nok mye som ser likt ut nå; fremdeles litt brunt og gult og bart i påvente av vårens inntog. Det er så deilig å løpe ute nå - høre fuglenes sang og se naturen som sakte kommer til live. :)
Ok, vel, ikke så langt unna da.;) Ja, nå som snøen har tørket opp er det utrolig fint i marka! Jeg pleier å jogge forbi et felt med mye hvitveis, men det ligger inni skogen, og det hadde ikke blomstret skikkelig enda i går. Snart er det vel grønt på alle kanter!
Interessant å lese om løpe-bakgrunnen din. Har lyst til å komme i løpeform selv. Det er jo så deilig når man endelig kommer inn i modus! Kanskje jeg også skal joine dette prosjektet! Hvordan funker det? Er det kun å lage innlegg med den hæsjtaggen?
Ja, det tok sin tid, og løsningen for meg var visst å gå via en annen sport, men nå er jeg inne i den gode steemen :) hvordan går det med treningen din? Du har jo virkelig satt deg et ordentlig mål. Det står litt nederst i denne posten om hvordan man blir en "approved" runner - koster 1 Steem eller SDB så følger man deres curation trail, får upvotes på alle postene dine og sånt. :)
Godt du er inni den gode steemen! Har selv vært kontinuerlig forkjøla siden påske så ikke fått trent effektivt på lenge! Ja, har satt meg mål, og frem til jeg er frisk nok til å trene skikkelig skal jeg i hvertfall gå en time hver dag. Skal sjekke ut mer info, kanskje det kan fungere som ekstra motivasjon😊
Beautiful place to run! I live in the countryside too. I must really try o run but I seem to have developed a minor condition that complicates running for me by causing extreme pain (not the usual shin pains, I worked through those very nicely). I won't have issues cycling so I may just stick to cycling. I want to run in order to lose my weight because the cycling doesn't cut my weight down like I need it to.