A Letter To The Person Who Says “I’m Not A Runner” On National Running Day

"People ask why I run. I say, 'If you have to ask, you will never understand." That's a quote that almost every High School Cross Country runner has uttered at some time or another. It's something so amazing and incomprehensible that I can't accurately put it into words.

Sixteen years ago I accepted that I just wasn't blessed with the coordination to continue playing soccer or trying to master tap and baton.  I decided that Track & Field was going to be my next sport.  Yes, I would master shot put and discus...or not. If you've seen me you know I'm not built for throwing anything heavy a distance so what did that leave me with? Running, which was something else I wasn't good at but I wanted to make the team so my dad and I started running the driveway of the park in my hometown.  Dad left me in the dust. I felt like I was dying. My lungs were on fire. My throat tasted like blood. I was pretty sure I wasn't breathing anymore. This is insane. Feeling defeated after a run that was the equivalent of running three dots on the Boise Greenbelt, I looked at my dad and said "I'm just not a runner."

But he got me to run the driveway again and we continued to do the run throughout the Spring that year.  I made the team, partially because they didn't cut anyone from junior high track, and finished last in the 100 meter dash every time I ran it. It would have been easy for me to walk away at the end of the season and just accept "I'm not a runner" but I didn't.  I was too in love with my my teammates and coaches to walk away from a group of extraordinary people. That's the reason I forced myself to become "a runner."  I ended up running four years of Varsity cross country and track, but walked away from it in college because I didn't click with my teammates or coach.  Upon moving to Boise, I realized how much I missed it and started running again. That decision has led me to meet some of the most incredible people in the Treasure Valley.

Running has given me a lot of things in life. Great things like trips to the state meet, the opportunity to experience some of the most spectacular views of the Treasure Valley from trails in the foothills, the ability to eat pretty much whatever I want because I run, self discipline and some really cool finisher medals.  It's given me horrible things like stress fractures, calf strains and well...experiencing Cross Country in general.  I mean who really thought it was a good idea to run your guts out in a 5K not once, but twice a week? Why did I think that torture was fun?

Easy...because more importantly than anything else, running has brought amazing people into my life. My high school teammates are now life long friends. I'm continuously inspired by warriors like Byron Sliger, a non-Hodgkin lymphoma patient who was told his cancer was incurable and took the diagnosis as a challenge to start running to prolong his life. I met Byron through Boise's Team In Training program. He's now completed marathons, triathlons and a trail 50K.  I was blessed to have the couple behind the Boise Galloway program as my coaches for my first marathon.  Somehow they made running 26.2 miles seem like a fun idea and I signed up for my second less than a week after crossing the finish line.  Running's introduced me to a 10 year old girl who's already done an ultramarathon because "running is fun." I wish I felt that way when I was a kid! Then you have the folks I met through my friendship with Brandon Frank at Fleet Feet in Meridian.  Their No Boundaries program is phenomenal. Most of the people in the group were "never runners" but felt motivated to sign up for the program to complete a 5K.  I almost cried when I saw how many of them placed in their age groups for the first time at the Tutu Run in Nampa. You can't forget my friends from the Boise Area Runners and Team Run Boise that I run with during the week.  These people are the nicest, most accepting people you'll ever meet and help you laugh off anything bothering you by the end of their meet ups. And that's just a small snapshot of the people I've met through running.

So now can I give you a quick answer as to why I run or expect you to understand it?  I can't but I'm inviting you to experience it with me at FitOne Boise this year! This is a personal invitation to join the 103.5 KISS FM "Friends with Benefit" team for the 5K, 10K or half-marathon when registration opens at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, June 1st.  If you've ever used the excuse "but I'm not a runner" try adding "yet" onto the end of that statement.  Remember, it doesn't matter if you run a 6 minute mile or walk 15 minute mile you still crossed the same start and finish line as every other "runner" in the race and that's pretty incredible. Take the plunge and you might meet some incredible people along the way! Plus we're helping the St. Luke's Childrens Hospital at this race and that's pretty awesome too!

Click HERE for everything you need to know about signing up for FitOne team!

See you on the course!

Michelle Heart