I'm not entirely sure which came first  but I have 2 VERY distinct memories of running as a kid. Both that always stuck out in my mind and made me think I could never be or want to be a runner..


One memory (and again no idea which came first)  was being on the Cross Country team.. I feel if i had to take a guess I would have been in gr 3 maybe 4 though I could be wrong on all accounts. I know we had more than one meet, and I know I wanted to do well, but I was also a very shy  child and I remember starting off running with my friend, and I KNOW and I still remember the feeling  of energy as I write this, that I could have  really excelled. Been first probably not, but I remember slowing down and stopping to walk with my friend who was cramping up.
Then my next memory was Track and Field, and I KNOW this was gr 3.  You got to choose from the standard running events and one of them was  an 1800M  which is JUST shy of 2km.  I would NEVER have signed up for this on my own, not  ever. BUT my 3rd grade teacher (Ms. Lowes) said  to me " you are a fantastic runner you would be great at this."  So I thought  , ok lets do it, the teacher said i'd be great at it lets go for it.  The day of I remember cramping up so bad and crying and wanting to die and wishing for it to be over.. I'm pretty sure I pulled out and didn't finish. It never occurred to me to WALK, in fact the only thought I DID have was keep up to every one else.

I have a few other  vague memories of track days, mainly trying to get out of them, or I'd pick the shortest  more sprint type races , and to be honest for a kid who did NOT care to be there at all I usually did ok.  Fast forward oh about 20 years.. I have this BRILLIANT Cousin Chelsea Lynes (click on her name its linked to her stats).  who ran competitively for years and just LOVED it. Her cousin ran, I knew a girl who was a bit heavier in school who started running and lost a ton of weight.  I would sit back and say "Wow I wish I could learn to LOVE running." I actually said this a few times over the course of a couple years, Until one day I decided , I'm going to TRY and run home from my  daughters gymnastics class. So I did.. and I FELT great! That's when  the truth hit me.. You can't sit around waiting to LOVE something you need to just make it happen. IF you want it bad enough  you will choose to get off your butt and do it.. Sitting around watching other people live their lives wishing you love what they loved will never do anything for you.  It seemed like such a simple theory, and yet it took me two years to figure it out, and interestingly enough I know people right at this moment, who I have no doubt are happy for my successes but are jealous that I go out and run, or that I've had success  in the physical fitness and health realm of life. They aren't bad people  and I don't hate them for it but they just haven't had their "Ah Ha" moment yet.

When I first began running it was like a fad had hit, every one and their mother was out running. Some of my friends prefer the solitude of running alone but when I was first starting I still had a lot of hang ups about people watching me run, or god forbid stop and walk while out for a run.  So I was lucky enough that I had a few friends we would go to a local trail or a quiet route often as dusk and we'd run, and we'd walk, and we'd laugh. Some times we were determine to  do it all and others we  were happy to just be out  and  going at a relaxed pace. As we got more serious  we would meet up with headphones and  you would see us staggered  along the road  at our own paces.. If there is one thing I have learned it is that finding that perfect PACE MATE is not  an easy find.  When you run with a group or  in a race, it becomes very clear there are a lot of different running styles out there, and almost ALWAYS some one faster than you are.

A bit chilled before the race but excited to GO!

After dabbling at running for a few months ( the winter meant taking a break, in Canada we get lots of snow and its cold, I wasn't that die hard yet) All sorts of Color Runs started popping up all over the place. A group of us  decided to put in a team and run the Color Me Rad  in Kitchener, Ontario. It seemed like a good race to start with for my first. It was fun, you wore white and got doused in color.. 2 of the girls on my team I knew but didn't know well and wasn't in regular contact with them, and the other was my long time bestie, who HATED anything fitness oriented especially running.  This should have been my first tip off  as to how things were going to go down.. We tried to "train" for the 5km.. even though it was a FUN run we (mainly myself) didn't want to be dying  and gasping for breath so bad we couldn't enjoy the run. My friend eventually as the  event drew nearer was no where to be found as far as "run buddy "went.

Had to get a pic with the awesome Signage!

 The night before the run the forecast was NOT looking promising, I believe it was September, and it's notoriously  rainy in September. It was calling for a rainy 18 degrees and my friend said she and the other girls were not up to running their first run in the rain ( I should mention they were my ride) but they would let me know.  As  a teen I would maybe think there was hope, as an adult I knew that that was code for "No way in hell am I running in the rain!" I some how got talking to a few of my other friends I knew were doing the run as well and they invited me along with them, and THANK GOD, they did. It never ended up raining, it may have misted (like standing near a waterfall) but it never rained.  I ran the ENTIRE 5km without stopping, which is crazy for me because I had at that point not run past 4km. We had so much fun!  Now in all fairness to my friend the reason I love her is because she's never afraid to admit she was wrong... every ones news feeds on Facebook were lighting up with photos of the run, when I finished the race I had a message waiting that said " I'm sorry, I'm so mad at my self, especially since it didn't even rain."

If you haven't done a color run yet, I highly recommend it, they are for all ages, sizes and walks of life.. Great family fun.. After this event  I've done at least 2 more.  mainly the Color me Rad, we did one The Color Run, which was ok,  I had a few issues with it which I will write about some other time. My kids love the color runs they beg to do them,  they are a must try at least once! This particular  Color Me Rad run  as I said was in Kitchener , right down town. and ended up at Victoria Park, which was a great finish place.  There were tons of food vendors and places to take photos, as well as an apparel station and a dj playing music.  No medal for this run but the kit was rather cute , a t shirt, and some glasses and some extra color powder. I beleive we got a discount code too so our cost was about 40$ which isn't bad for a days activity and  some exercise.


After that first race, I got bit by the run bug hard!! In fact more than 2 years later I'm still adding race bibs and medals to my  race board I made. It is my hope to eventually review each race for you here in my blogs so it will help motivate others, or  give information to  people local to me on what to expect from the kits! My best advice to every one who WANTS to  learn to run, is just do it.. You wont regret it, you may suffer from aches and pains, and you may not starts off as strong and fast as you want to be, but   you wont know what you can do if you don't start! There are some great programs out there couch to 5km is one of them,   you can also you a run a block walk a block theory. There are also  lots of learn to run programs at the local YMCA  and Running Room all over Ontario!Happy Running!

Finishing your first race is such a proud moment!

xoxo,
         Samantha