{"id":7534,"date":"2020-08-05T15:30:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runproject.org\/?p=7534"},"modified":"2020-08-05T15:30:07","modified_gmt":"2020-08-05T20:30:07","slug":"from-the-treadmill-to-road-running-coltens-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runproject.org\/blog\/from-the-treadmill-to-road-running-coltens-story","title":{"rendered":"From the Treadmill to Road Running: Colten’s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: <\/strong>Colten Gonzalez-Hill<\/p>\n

They say that \u201cwriting\u201d is a personal thing, and therefore it\u2019s difficult to share your written thoughts with others. Well I\u2019ve come to learn that whoever first said that, must not have tried running. For me, when I started running a little over a year ago, I was very self-conscious about it. For this reason, when I made the decision to start, I also gave myself stipulations. I did this for two reasons. One, I didn\u2019t want to start and then eventually stop, like I\u2019d previously done with so many other new hobbies I\u2019d tried to adopt. Having a plan in place was crucial for any scenario that might deter me from continuing my new lifestyle. Then there was my more irrational second reason. I was never ever ever, going to run outside or in a large crowded gym. I was only going to run on one of the three treadmills that were in my apartment\u2019s tiny gym. Then, if even that became too overwhelming, I\u2019d simply finance my very own treadmill. My reasoning for this was simple (in my eyes at least). I didn\u2019t want ANYONE to see or analyze how I run.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This complex about running evolved slowly over time, and was rooted directly from an off-handed comment from a family member, back when I was in elementary school. We were in the car, passing a trail, when a jogger ran past us. This family member then looked over at me and said, \u201cyou can tell she\u2019s a professional runner.\u201d Perplexed, I asked how she could tell. She then enlightened me that if you pay attention to the people running by, you can see who\u2019s experienced or a beginner based off how they hold their arms, land, and how they angle their body to the ground.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That realization stayed with me, as I got older. But it became more questionable when I eventually learned that not every good runner actually runs the same way. This made me wonder if what I\u2019d learned so many years ago had been incorrect. So making the decision to run (but also gamble at how many people would see and judge my running style) was all too overwhelming to think about. If I didn\u2019t run like a professional, would people know I was a beginner? Would they think I was fooling myself for trying? Would they think that I\u2019d hurt myself? All of these thoughts amounted to my decision that for my state of mind to stay as positive as it could, I needed to only run privately. And for a whole year, that\u2019s what I did. And I loved it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So what happens when a pandemic occurs a year into your running journey, and all the gyms (even little ones) are closed? What if you can\u2019t finance that treadmill because you\u2019ve been furloughed? Well if you\u2019d asked me a year ago, I would\u2019ve said, \u201cjust quit.\u201d But running (even just inside) provided me with a sense of empowerment I hadn\u2019t had before. I didn\u2019t want to give that up. So I revisited this notion of running anywhere besides a treadmill. And for some reason it didn\u2019t sound as bad anymore. It still sounded anxiety riddling\u2026 But, not impossible. So one day I ran in my neighborhood.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That first outdoor run, I was convinced everyone was probably looking through their windows, analyzing my landing, and of course laughing. I was so hung up on being aware of who was around that could see me, that I wasn\u2019t paying any attention to the changes in the ground I was landing on. This led me to rolling my ankle on a curb. I limped all the way home, angry that I\u2019d been so negligent. After letting my ankle heal for a week, I tried again. This time, I made it my mission to tune out all of my surroundings that might alter the enjoyment of my run. Investing in some Bluetooth earbuds helped with this. Because if I could at least not see my iPhone cord flopping around the entire time, then that would help me to focus more on my true crime podcasts. Having my stories to focus on, combined with the beauty in the shift from spring to summer, made for some of the most enjoyable runs I could go on. I began looking forward to my runs again, which was something I had missed.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This brings me to today. Are the gyms open? Yes, but you have to wear a mask. I don\u2019t want to be in a mask while my heart rate is 170 bpm, and I need as much air as possible. So, I\u2019ve continued running outside. Albeit, in the early mornings, because it\u2019s entirely too hot to run in the afternoons like I used to do. But, luckily autumn is coming, and I\u2019ll get to finally enjoy running outdoors while temperatures are cool. As awful as quarantine has been for many reasons, it\u2019s also been nice to reflect on some of the positive changes it\u2019s brought about.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Oh and in case you were wondering\u2026 As for the \u201cright\u201d or \u201cwrong\u201d way to run\u2026 What I was initially failing to consider was that, it pretty much just depends on your own specific body. What hurts and what doesn\u2019t hurt, both during and\/or after the run. Once you figure that out and you\u2019re running comfortably, who cares who\u2019s watching. Maybe you\u2019ll run different than someone else on the trail. They might even notice it. But, if they too had to go through a process when they started running, they probably also know it\u2019s just what works for you. So just keep calm, and run on\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Colten Gonzalez-Hill They say that \u201cwriting\u201d is a personal thing, and therefore it\u2019s difficult to share your written thoughts with others. Well I\u2019ve come to learn that whoever first said that, must not have tried running. For me, when I started running a little over a year ago, I was very self-conscious about it. 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