I heard the most amazing story on Q107 this morning while driving to work. A man by the name of Tim Boyle was interviewed by the radio station QFM. He said he will be running his first official 5K at Sunshine Fest this weekend. You may remember me posting about this event, but if not you can read more here. Well this piqued my interest so I listened attentively as he spoke about his running experience.
Tim was a smoker who decided one day that he was tired of smelling like smoke and feeling unhealthy. So he quit. Instead of spending his extra money on cigarettes he started buying running gear. He had not been a runner previously and probably never thought much of running at all. Tim did mention the only time he ran was during baseball practice for punishment. Maybe that's why some people hate running; they associate it with punishment. I'll have to dig into that subject another time.
So on Tim's very first run he not only ran one full mile but he ran 3.5 miles. Wow! I was not a runner or a smoker before I started the Couch-to-5K program and couldn't have imagined running the full 5K on day one. I dreaded running for 60 whole seconds.
The second day Tim ran 4 miles. His goal for the first week was to be able to run the total distance from Crookston to Grand Forks. Now for those of you that are not familiar with this area of the world these towns are 20 miles apart. He exceeded his goal of 20 miles and ran 21 total miles in his first week. How amazing!
As most runners can guess- his life was forever changed. Running does something to a person that almost can't be explained. You learn who you really are because it's just you out there running by yourself. I've prayed many times during my training (mostly saying "God please let me make it to the end.") I don't know about treadmill running but when you're outside with nothing but nature surrounding you you learn to thank God every day for what we've been given.
Tim also spoke of a special person by the name of Michael Wasserman (hope I spelled that right). Michael has been living with Down Syndrome and apparently paints these amazing pictures. The public is encouraged to find him on Facebook and friend request him. Tim will be running for Michael at Sunshine Fest and I'm really hoping to meet him. I love being inspired by others! Who inspires you?
Tim was a smoker who decided one day that he was tired of smelling like smoke and feeling unhealthy. So he quit. Instead of spending his extra money on cigarettes he started buying running gear. He had not been a runner previously and probably never thought much of running at all. Tim did mention the only time he ran was during baseball practice for punishment. Maybe that's why some people hate running; they associate it with punishment. I'll have to dig into that subject another time.
So on Tim's very first run he not only ran one full mile but he ran 3.5 miles. Wow! I was not a runner or a smoker before I started the Couch-to-5K program and couldn't have imagined running the full 5K on day one. I dreaded running for 60 whole seconds.
The second day Tim ran 4 miles. His goal for the first week was to be able to run the total distance from Crookston to Grand Forks. Now for those of you that are not familiar with this area of the world these towns are 20 miles apart. He exceeded his goal of 20 miles and ran 21 total miles in his first week. How amazing!
As most runners can guess- his life was forever changed. Running does something to a person that almost can't be explained. You learn who you really are because it's just you out there running by yourself. I've prayed many times during my training (mostly saying "God please let me make it to the end.") I don't know about treadmill running but when you're outside with nothing but nature surrounding you you learn to thank God every day for what we've been given.
Tim also spoke of a special person by the name of Michael Wasserman (hope I spelled that right). Michael has been living with Down Syndrome and apparently paints these amazing pictures. The public is encouraged to find him on Facebook and friend request him. Tim will be running for Michael at Sunshine Fest and I'm really hoping to meet him. I love being inspired by others! Who inspires you?
"when you're outside with nothing but nature surrounding you you learn to thank God every day for what we've been given."
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. I tend to grumble and complain about... the weather, my lingering injuries, my slow speed etc... but there are times when, out of no where, I am struck by how very blessed I am and just have to start praising God! This never happens on the treadmill, though :)
Sometimes it's easier to be negative (like me saying that the treadmill sucks) but I have to remember that I'm able to run while others may not be able to. Tricky things that God does by teaching us things like that ;)
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