As of January 2021, I have been running consistently for about 1.5 years, although I did run cross country in high school. I began running again as part of a really wonderful group through the Ulman Foundation, Cancer to 5k Raleigh. It was the perfect way to start running again in a gradual, supportive way. In this program, each survivor is paired with a volunteer sherpa to run or walk with at their pace of choice. Throughout the first 12 week season I gradually was able to increase my speed, stamina, and mileage as I continued to attend practices. In November of 2019, I ran in the 5k without stopping to walk, which was a huge accomplishment for me.
In January of 2020, I joined a 10k training group through Fleet Feet Raleigh. I attended biweekly practices and ran with a run/walk pace group. At first, this was difficult for me. I was still very new to running and sometimes had trouble keeping up. However, I was determined to push myself to my limits and believe in myself. I added in extra runs throughout the week so I could feel ready and confident for Saturday long runs. We started at 3 miles long run, adding .5 miles and different run/walk intervals throughout the program. When we reached the 7 mile long run, I felt elated, knowing that I proved to myself that I could run long distances. I had never believed in my body enough to think that I could. Our 10k was cancelled due to COVID-19, but I am so truly grateful for what that program taught me about myself.
When quarantine lockdowns started in March, I enjoyed running on my local greenway, and with my parents for long runs on Weekends. It was so nice to have a physical and mental outlet to the stress of the world at the time. I sometimes met up with friends I met at Fleet Feet starting in June to run (although nothing was sponsored by Fleet Feet). Around that time, I started talking to an acquaintance in my Cancer to 5k group and we decided to move in together, which has been a really awesome decision!
In August, we put on our masks and attended season 2 of Cancer to 5k. Masks were worn at every single practice. With the shorter distances compared to the 10k program, I really focused on getting faster during this season. For our “race,” which was for our group only during our practice, I achieved a 5k time of 37 minutes, which is a personal record.
Currently, I run some type of sprints or hard work out on one weeknight, along with my 2021 1 mile run/walk streak. I also run with friends I met at Fleet Feet every Sunday morning and we run 4-5 miles, but plan to gradually increase. I would eventually love to run my first half marathon but I plan to wait until it is safe for Fleet Feet to host their training groups again! I really like being able to run with a group because of the social and safety aspects!
Running Reading Lattes 