Running Scared: Getting over the Fear of Running

Okay, I am going to be real for a moment. When I first heard about the group, Black Girls Run!, I was like, "Get the heck out of here! We don't do that!" I can honestly say I was baffled that such a group would dare to exist. I mean, what about our hair and what sweating does to it? Running looked like it hurt, and I had never seen too many women who were the same shade of skin as me partake in such an activity. I lived the stereotype that Black girls DON'T and WQN'T run...at least until I decided to get my health in order. I had just started my journey to better health January of 2011. I had an awesome opportunity to run in a local 5K race with some of my co-workers that September. I decided that I wasn't going to make this race easy for myself. I was determined that I was going to run the whole race! At the time, 3 miles to me might as well have been 30 miles because it seemed to be an impossible feat to accomplish given that it had been years since I actually attempted to run anywhere.

Running the full 5K race was a catalyst for change for me. My whole view about running changed because I had now accomplished my goal! Now, although I can run three miles without really thinking about it, I never minimize the will power it takes to get to three miles. When I do long runs, the first three miles are always the hardest. At the beginning of the fourth mile I start getting the much talked about "runner's high", also know as "runner's delirum", lol. If you are a beginner, you probably can't really fathom this feeling. Well, let me tell you, it is very surreal. Any run I do which is four miles plus causes me to feel an out of body experience. Nope, I'm not crazy...I know that my legs are moving but my mind is elsewhere, most likely focused on finishing! As uncomfortable as this feeling can be, this feeling is an indicator that my body is working at it's maximal potential, and I love it! I am thrilled that Black Girls Run! exist because more African-American women are learning the value of this feeling. Some women are scared to start this challenge alone. Well, now we have groups like Black Girls Run! to keep us motivated and encouraged. Never-mind that we may sweat out our perms. Many of us have made our health a priority and have decided to go natural. Although, this isn't the route I have chosen to take with my hair(I am back and forth about it), I have a good hair stylist who understands my need to run and who is a runner herself. I have learned how to manage my hair. Yes, running can hurt. Life can hurt, too. It can down right suck at times to run on a too hot, too cold, or too humid day. Yet, I keep getting out there, determined to make the most out of even the crappiest of runs because running is apart of my life routine. I ALWAYS feel better after a run.

I got over the fear of running, because I feared being in poor health more. Like many African-Americans, I come from a family that is plagued with obesity, hypertension, and high cholesterol. I have realized that running is the answer to improving my mental and physical well-being. If you really desire to be a runner, for what ever reason, it starts with a mentality change first. "I can run because I want to run" is what I told myself. I found a couch to 5K program and I got busy. All of the superficial excuses are now null and void because I proved I am capable of doing what I once told myself I couldn't do. This is why it is so imperative that we participate in this year's Black Girls Run! Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend. I remember finishing last year's race and watching people come in. It was a beautiful site to see girlfriends, husbands and wives, women with their kids reach the finish line, break down and cry. I didn't know their journey, but that feeling of accomplishment, the "I did it!" look was universal. We told ourselves it could be done, and it was. What a powerful feeling of unity I witnessed on that day! Sure, you may be running scared, at first. But, at least you are out there running!

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy!"---Dale Carnegie

*** Check out blackgirlsrun.com to sign up for this year's Sweat With Your Sole Race and Conference Weekend in Charlotte, NC September 6-8, 2013. Prices go up July 31! The race is open to the public, men and children included!***