When I first had the crazy idea to run I’d never been a runner. Sure – I’d been active. I wouldn’t say I was an athlete by any means. In high school running laps before tennis practice was something I dreaded. I’d ice skated from an early age and some of my childhood memories are of time spent at the rink moving easily across the ice. But, ice rinks are cold, and I can’t remember working up a sweat with those workouts. I didn’t like sweating. I hated gym class and feeling yucky and gross after. Tennis was my sport of choice after skating and, luckily, I had friends who encouraged me to take it up again when I moved to a new area for a job and had no social network at the time.

Tennis allowed me to meet friends, eventually my husband, and get into a community of like-minded athletes. Yes – those weekend warrior tennis club-ers are athletes! Slowly I learned how to use the treadmills at the tennis club, how to stretch safely, and saw improvement in my tennis form. But, as they eventually do, children change everything.

After having child number one, I found it much harder to get to the tennis club on a regular basis. Even though my husband worked there, and I had support from the friends and members I met through the club, it was hard to keep starting. Each day with a baby was different and it was hard enough to keep up with the baby schedule which changed so often I felt like each time I played a set of tennis I was starting right back where I was before. That can get frustrating. A drop shot you’d have easily gotten to before you miss, or that serve you know you’ve hit a certain way now doesn’t go quite where you want it to.

About a year or so went by and I was less and less active. I don’t really know why or how but I decided to run. Perhaps it was the inaugural 5K that our church was organizing or maybe I just needed to get out of the house without the toddler, but I remember the day I started running. I couldn’t run around the block. It was warm. I was sweating. I don’t know what day it was, or why it was that day, but I clearly remember being 34 years old and stopped by the side of the road on the new sidewalk. I was looking at the date scratched in which was a few days before I went into the hospital the previous year to have our son thinking “My goodness I can’t even run to the end of this sidewalk and its just older than the baby – how will I keep up with him when he can run it?” That was the start.

Starting is really hard. Starting means you need to take a chance and try something new that challenges you. I’ve found it is easier to start when you have a goal and you have support and encouragement. For me, that meant signing up for that very first 5K. Starting meant that I met a new community of like-minded athletes who looked a lot like the other moms my age who were looking to reach goals and have an active outlet. The start line of my first marathon happened well after having baby number two and having to restart my running from ground zero. That first marathon start line taught me that the marathon is a lot of little starts all bundled up into one great big start. I had to get through the 16+ weeks of training day by day and workout by workout.

People are often impressed with how much I run or the races I finish. Yes, running a marathon is impressive, and not many people do it. But, there are tons of things I can’t do – yet. If I want to complete an ultra, I need to take that first step and start breaking it down to figure out how to accomplish it. If I want to do a halfway decent pull up, I have to do things to make that happen, not just wish for it. Starting takes action. Each day you have an opportunity to flex your starting muscle. Every time you start, your starting muscle becomes stronger and more disciplined and achieving your goals is possible. Your starting muscle isn’t for running alone. You use it everyday in every way possible. Work, home, exercise, community involvement all require you to start something.

So, where are you starting? Where do you want to end up? What do you need to do to improve your starting muscle? Let me see you flex!

P.S. – Want to see where I started? That 5K back in 2010… That is a story for another day…