My Background
I played every sport as a child: basketball, football, soccer, track and field, and my favorite, baseball. If there is one thing these sports taught me, it is that I am not built for running. So I thought. Cardio was my worst enemy. I made tons of excuses: I’m too large, I’m not graceful when I run, I’m better suited for weight lifting. For the past few years, I have worked out under these assumptions. For the past few years, I have avoided running as if it were the plague. When COVID-19 changed the world earlier this spring, everybody’s lives were turned upside down. Online classes, being stuck indoors, minimal social interaction, financial troubles, and general concern for the health of ourselves and our loved ones are just some of the problems that many of us have faced.
How Quarantine Motived Me to Run
2 weeks into quarantine, with school work piling up, frustrations mounting, and pent up energy about to burst out of me, I realized that I needed to find a way to workout. But the gyms were closed. Then it dawned on me. The only way I was going to stay in shape was through running. I dreaded it. Living in South Texas on the coast, 95 degrees and 90% humidity is considered a cool day.
The first few weeks were brutal. My college-student diet betrayed me and I was having to drink water like never before. The runs were boring. Not having the stamina to run very far meant I had to stay close to home. It made no sense to run 2 or 3 miles out only to have to walk back. Another problem that amused my family was trying to decide what surface to run on. After neglecting proper running for years, my knee began to ache after about 2 weeks. My parents began to hit me with the “just wait until you’re our age” comments. While I found that running on grass was gentler on the knee, I also found that it led to twisted ankles from hidden holes. It was hopeless. I wasn’t built to be a runner. I was ready to give up. One day, after forcing myself out the front door for a 2-mile run, something happened. When I crossed the 2-mile mark, I felt good. Really good, actually. I put my head down and decided to keep running. I got creative with the route. I did loops around cul-de-sacs, weaved in and out of new streets, and even went for a run along the neighborhood ditch. I didn’t check my time or the distance until I got home and when I did, I had just crossed the 4-mile mark. A personal best.
Why I love Running Now
My runs suddenly became interesting. Knowing what I was capable of now, I pushed myself physically and mentally. I knew that I couldn’t settle for just a 1-mile run and call it a good day. I began to venture out. I ran across a crosswalk for the first time to get to an entirely different neighborhood. I ran to go visit friends at their houses (socially distancing outside, of course). Running through my own neighborhood day after day is boring. Exploring other neighborhoods, visiting friends, and running along nature trails? That’s fun. I suppose this is where my mentality changed as well. Running went from being a chore, a necessary evil, a sports punishment, to being an adventure. Running has become a way for me to let loose and to clear my mind. Today, I run for the sightseeing, exploration, and the mental clarity that it provides me. 3 months and a knee brace later, I’ve grown to love running. I think it’s clear that I’ve gotten better but there’s still work to be done. Sometimes I’m still not sure which ‘me’ is going to show up to the evening run. Will it be the Ben that runs 6-miles… or will it be the “I’ve-just-eaten-a-bacon-cheeseburger-and-I-can’t-even-walk-Ben?” I suppose my diet is something that still needs to be tweaked some. Moving back to Austin for the summer also means another challenge… hills. No matter what route you take around campus, there’s going to be a slope at some point in the journey. This is where I stand for the summer. I’ve got a campus and city to discover for the first time again. Looking forward to the fall, I’m hoping, just like all of us, that we can return to some sort of pseudo-normalcy. If Gregory Gym can safely reopen for the semester in some limited capacity, I’ll be there. If it does not, I think it is safe to say that I have found a new way to clear my mind after a long day.