I’m not a runner. I’ve always said this. I’m not built for running. I’m not good at running. I have flat feet. I get wicked shin splints when I run.
I have told myself this story for as long as I can remember. I have never been a fan of running, even back in gym class in elementary school, when I was young enough to run like the wind!
Yet last Saturday I found myself at the starting line of a 5K. I had not prepared or trained. I know, 5K is not really that long, but to a non-runner it is. My family and I had intended to walk the trail (there were others walking) and then enjoy the Cupcake Festival that followed. Let’s face it, we were there for the cupcakes.
The setting was a beautiful orchard and the weather was cool. The race began and I started to run. My first thought was Why am I running? I am not a runner.
I kept running. Though I did interject spurts of walking along the rocky trail, I realized that “I am not a runner” is just a story I tell myself.
The truth is I CAN be a runner. If I choose. I finished with a sense of pride in myself, and yes, the beginnings of shin splints.
But more importantly, I challenged my story. I still don’t enjoy running. I’d much rather grab my roller blades, hop on my bike or hike with my family. And I still have flat feet and the challenge of shin splints.
My new story: I completed a 5K. I am a runner, IF I choose to be, but I choose not to run.
Unless of course, there are cupcakes involved.
What story are you telling yourself? And how might you rewrite it?