Hi, I’m Katie! I blog over at Katie Moves (http://katiemoves.wordpress.com). I’m a 23-year-old fitness enthusiast living in South Central Pennsylvania. I was a Health and Physical Education major and have a passion for all things fitness. I’m so excited to do a guest post for Michelle! (We also share a love for Pittsburgh sports and are Sweat Pink Ambassadors!)
I am by no means a natural runner or endurance athlete. I have, however, played sports that involved running my entire life. Of course, they also involved a stick, ball, hoop, or goal. Now that kind of coordination is what I was made for. Running for miles? Biking for miles? Not so much. I played team sports from the time I was very young and throughout high school.
After high school, I went on to play field hockey at a Division II college in my home state of Pennsylvania. These years were the best times of my life! My team was my family and my home-away-from-home. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that it did. Those four years of college flew by faster than I could have ever expected. I can still remember being dropped off for the first day of pre-season and then before I knew it, it was our Senior Day.
When it was all over and we finished up our fall semester I didn’t notice hockey being over right away. We were all so used to the season ending and having some time off before the spring that it was pretty much a normal feeling…usually one of relief to have that extra time for studying and projects. Coming back for the spring semester was weird when I figured out I had all that time on my hands. I went to the gym but now working out just to stay “fit” wasn’t really fun for me. I did it because I know that staying active is healthy, but it wasn’t fun for me at the time. I tried to mix things up and did some new classes, but being an athlete all my life and then suddenly not competing was a foreign concept for me. It was easy to even blow off the gym because I never felt like it mattered. “Who cares if I don’t lift or run today, I’m not letting a teammate down anymore, its all on me,” were some of the thoughts that went through my head. For the next 6 months I was at a loss for what to do to make fitness fun for me again.
My boyfriend who I had been dating for almost a year had always been very into running and cycling. He had 2 bikes (road and triathlon bike), an indoor trainer, and trained that way for the entire time I knew him. He had even done a few duathlons (run, bike, run) the summer before we met. That summer after field hockey ended his Dad got a new road bike, meaning there was an extra bike for me to be able to try riding. It was love at first ride! By the end of the summer I signed up for my first duathlon last October and I was absolutely hooked! The biking was really fun for me and the rush of the wind in your face was totally addicting. The running part was hard for me- yes, but this was a new challenge! One I really needed to motivate me and keep me interested. Running that type of distance in one race was something I never thought I would be able to do before- and then there I was finishing AND winning my age group! This spring I’ve already participated in two more races- and I’m already looking for more to do!
My challenge to all of you who are feeling bored or unmotivated is to find a race- maybe an Adventure Race, Tough Mudder, or a Triathlon/Duathlon. Find something to challenge and inspire you to work harder! Sometimes a new goal is all you need, and you might just be surprised by yourself. The next challenge for myself is starting to swim again, and signing up for a triathlon hopefully by the end of the summer!
