Hate Running? Find a Way to Make It Fun

I’ll be honest: I don’t like running. And I actually feel pretty guilty that don’t like running since my dad was SUCH an avid runner. Religiously ran races, marathons, and a year before he passed away, he was running ultra marathons (50 miles)! I even remember asking my dad why he enjoyed running so much if it seemed so terrible. He said it was because it felt so good when he stopped. My thinking then was, “Then I’ll be one step ahead and never start!”

So when my friends invited me a couple weeks ago to do The Color Run 5k with them, I texted back a secretly reluctant “Sure, I’m down!” I’d heard from others that it was a fun run, but it was still running and I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my friends who are all much more athletic than I am.

Well, I’m happy to report that we all survived, and I actually had fun running! Sure, they played the same three songs for all 3.1 miles, but it was a relatively low-pressure atmosphere which allowed me to feel comfortable going at my own pace. About every mile, we were blasted with puffs of bright powder that got everywhere. I was having so much fun that I even sprinted toward the finish line.

The lesson? I will only run with a color powder distributor who will celebrate me every mile in which I don’t die. Also, I realized I only ever ran around my neighborhood, which is all steep hills. Maybe I just hate steep hills! New game plan: I’m going to avoid hills because they make running so much harder than I would like at this point. And of course, I’ll still need that color powder distributor, if anyone would like to volunteer.

Look at this ridiculous mess. After I showered all of this green dye out of my hair, it looked like I had murdered a leprechaun in the bathtub.