Happy Tuesday all! I hope you’re having a great week. I can’t believe that I’m 5 days away from my first half marathon! I remember posting my first announcement about my decision to run in this post [here]. My reasoning behind making this commitment was to run in honor of my friend Kyle, who tragically passed away while running this very same race last year due to an unknown heart condition.

Now, if you know me well enough, you’ll know that I don’t consider myself a “runner”. Mainly because my daily workouts consist more of weights, body weight movements, spinning, or circuit style workouts. I also know that when it was colder, it was hard to get on a treadmill for an hour and realize you’ve only gone about 4 miles…sometimes the treadmill & I don’t mix too well.

I always joke with my bittie, Sarah (who just ran in the Boston marathon with a NEW PR of 3:21!! hiyo!), that I have yet to find that “runners high”.

I’m not going to lie to you…it wasn’t always easy to get in my runs. Not that I didn’t have time – but since it wasn’t my favorite type of thing to do, I found myself putting it off. I knew that I had to start getting into a routine & truly find a way to enjoy it.

Some people may think that with being a personal trainer & having a lot of energy, that physical activity comes easy. I honestly am here to tell you that I am human, and there are some days where I’d rather curl into a ball under my blankets than get up & run…but in the back of my head – I knew I had a goal & I am not one to ever back down from a challenge, especially one with this much of a meaningful reason.

I truly believe that stepping out of your comfort zone into something new is a GREAT way to grow. I guarantee it won’t always be comfortable but you definitely will learn something during the process.

I came to find that once the weather broke & the sun and warmed weather started to make an appearance, running became a fun way to clear my head.

Headphones in, music on, sunshine out – it was time to run! And guess what…not sure if I found that runner’s high yet BUT I do know that I truly started to enjoy the process. I love waking up early, driving to the local park that is a 5 mile loop around the lake, & hit the pavement.

We used to run the park whenever I was in high school for soccer & I remember not being able to sleep the night before knowing that I had to wake up and run 5 miles. We used to absolutely dread that day because, well, it was HARD! Especially with wanting to prove yourself to your coach & your team that you worked hard in the off season to come ready into the fall season.

Now, I can take on this 5 miles, being much stronger at this age, & when I’m done I always give myself a pat on the back & think how far I’ve truly come.

A week ago I ran 10 miles with one of my best friends Kaitlin, who is also running the Half Marathon in honor of our friend Kyle. Both of us have never run that long of distance before & we both knew that it would be a challenge. We met up early in the morning on a Saturday & totally rocked out the 10 miler!

I was so proud of our accomplishment & it made us that much more excited leading into marathon weekend!

Surrounding yourself with people where you both support one another is something that I truly appreciate. I feel very blessed to have friends in  my life who not only share a passion for finding fitness that they enjoy, but also with mutual support for each other.

If you haven’t heard of it, Dick’s Sporting Goods is currently having an “Every Runner Has a Reason” campaign, where users will post their unique take on who they #RunFor to their Twitter and Instagram accounts.

I can’t even tell you how inspirational these videos are on the Dick’s Sporting Goods YouTube channel showing stories & reasons of what people #RUNFOR.

Here is a small example of one about a woman named, Alicia whose husband passed away unexpectedly while training for the 2008 summer games. Alicia, an elite runner herself, continues to share their passion by fostering a running community out of their home.

Every Runner Has a Reason

Tell us why you run with the hashtag #RUNFOR. Reasons can be emotional or silly & the possibilities are truly endless. I encourage you to share your reasons you run on Twitter or Instagram with I #RunFor ______. & Every Runner has a reason!

What do I run for? This Sunday I will #RUNFORKYLE – as well as running for myself as a challenge to step outside of my own comfort box & trying something new.

Sometimes running may or may not be our “thing” BUT if we try something new, you may find that it’s something you enjoy. I will continue to incorporate running in my weekly workouts because I can now say that I’ve truly been enjoying it & I’m excited to keep challenging myself in the future.

I #RUNFOR Resilience. The capacity to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.

I run to clear my head & build mental strength to complete a task at hand.

You can find Dick’s Sporting Goods on Social Media & feel free to reach out with your reason you run!

Instagram: @DicksSportingGoods

Twitter: @DICKS

Facebook: @dickssportinggoods

So tell us, what do you #RUNFOR?

Be true to you,

xo Kasey

I am collaborating with Dick’s Sporting Goods on their “Every runner has a reason” campaign but as always, all opinions & words are my own! #betruetoyou