Running with Purpose

WORKOUT -

Ran on TM -

8.0 miles/1:04

.1 incline

Before I forget another day, the winner of the Oakley giveway, according to random.org is #411 Jovan.  Please email me at sr@skinnyrunner.com. 

STORY TIME

Today I have an inspiring story from reader Nicole to share.  She emailed me the other day and I had to share it immediately because I think it’s so uplifting and encouraging:

“In 2009, I was supporting my sister at her first triathlon. From the sidelines I cheered for her, secretly wishing I was fit, confident and physically able to do something that awesome… but I was 50 pounds overweight and had NEVER EVER enjoyed running.”

“I saw that many of the triathletes were girls bigger than me or people twice my age… and I realized I had no excuses.  So I started the Couch to 5K program and signed up for my first 5K.  After that, I promptly got pregnant and gained back whatever I had lost during my 5K training – and then some.”

“In Jan 2011, I started Weight Watchers and began Couch to 5K again; I was basically starting from scratch. I had some slip-ups: weeks when I didn’t lose weight and weeks where I skipped runs, but overall I stuck with it. I reached my goal weight in April 2012, and in June I ran my first half-marathon.”

“It was my first “big” race, and my whole family was there to support me – husband, kids, parents, in-laws, friends, and of course, my sister. I fought back tears the entire last mile and when my 8-year-old daughter came out to run the last few steps with me, I lost it completely.”

“I would have NEVER thought I would be able to run 13.1 miles. I was proving to myself that I could do amazing things, and I was showing my daughter what a strong, fit woman looks like.”

“I’m not the fastest runner (I average about 10:00-10:30 min/miles on long runs), but I’ve improved from a 12:30 pace at my first 5K and I’m continuing to improve.”

“I’ve learned a lot about myself through the sport of running. Most importantly, I’ve learned to believe in myself.  So often women think “I could never…” and that’s simply not true.  Properly equipped, we can all do AMAZING things and prove ourselves wrong!”

“Up until now, running has been pretty much about ME: losing weight, a little “me” time each day, the excitement of the run.  But I want to make this passion of mine a little more purposeful.  I’m captain of a Team World Vision group that is going to run in the LA Marathon in March 2013.”

“We’re raising money for clean water wells in Africa. Amazingly, a mere $50 will provide 1 person clean water FOR LIFE so our goal is to raise $50 for each mile. My sister and I are going to run the marathon together as a relay, and with each mile we push through, we know that every drop of sweat is worth it.”

“We’re so fortunate to have clean water so freely available to us – at aid stations in races and in our kitchens and grocery stores.  I want to do my part to make clean water available to those who don’t currently have that luxury.”

You can donate to Nicole’s Team World Vision fundraising page if you’d like.  Thanks Nicole for sharing your inspiring story!

Tagged as: motivation, readers