“Why I run….. Simply put – I run because I now can!
Having lost a large amount of weight through weight loss surgery 4 ½ years ago, deep down I knew that if I was to be successful with my weight loss journey, I needed to do a full 180 on my life and its choices. Surgery helped me lose the initial weight, but it is me and my mindset that will ensure I remain a successful loser.
In the beginning it was just walking and while this started off slowly, it soon became a habit I was enjoying, and I noticed that my walking pace was increasing each week. I then just felt like running – so away I went.
Fast forward a year or two and I discovered parkrun and the Life in Motions 0-5Km run programme. At this stage I was running 5km but I wanted to learn more about how to become a ‘better’ runner. This led me into trail running, which I must admit at first was scary sounding… hills and running up them? Eeek! But guess what – you don’t run the hills, well you can if you want, but most seem like they are mini mountains, so walking is totally fine!
Through the Sunday Run Group I discovered that while I was slow, everyone can run at their own pace, and you still feel part of the group. Everyone is so so supportive. This has now lead me to getting all the run ‘accessories’ and I have a very busy 2022 calendar full of running events… starting with Tarawera 21km (I’d like to do the 50 in 2023), and the Wellington Xterras. Plus a couple of road runs thrown in for fun.
And as the good old saying goes, ‘if I can do it, so can you!’ So make 2022 the year you say, I am a runner!”
Lisa @lisas_changing_ways
(Wellington)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
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