Never Say Never

So this morning I did a little race for the first time: the Carlsbad half marathon. While I was running--enjoying the beautiful coastal San Diego scenery, the bands playing on the sidelines, the crowds of people cheering us runners on--it occurred to me how unreal the whole scenario was. The idea that I would voluntarily run 13.1 miles blows my mind because up until a little over a year ago, I never would have run one mile.

When I was a kid, I wasn't exactly the athletic type. I really hated gym (P.E., as we call it today) and did my best to get out of doing any physical activity I didn't like. This attitude no doubt contributed to my chubbiness later in life. I hated those President's Physical Fitness tests where you had to sprint 1/4 mile and run a mile around the school blacktop--I always got winded and overheated (probably because I also didn't drink enough water as a kid either). So the fact that I did this race today redeems me in a way from that early behavior, which stuck with me for a long time into my young adulthood.

Even though it took me all these years to do it, I'm proud of my accomplishment. And I say to you, never say never. Think you can't run a race or run a mile? Start with what you can do and build from there. The trite but true saying, "Rome wasn't built in a day," applies here. You have to start somewhere. So if you can't run a mile, try walking a mile. Then try picking up your pace. Soon, you might add in some running intervals, then increase the interval length, and before long you'll have run your first mile.

Now I know running isn't for everyone, and I don't by any means advocate it as the be-all, end-all form of exercise. So if you don't like running, try another activity that gets your heart pumping: Dance? Tennis? Roller-blading? Whatever it is, don't discount yourself from being able to master something you never thought you'd even try. Who knows what possibilities await you if you give things a chance?