Why not?

My classroom motto is, “become the best version of yourself.” What I usually mean by that is…make choices that you will be proud of.

It is hard to undo a first impression. It sticks with you and taints the way that you think about something or someone for the remainder of the relationship. But, what about the first impression of yourself.

Growing up, I was the chubby one. It was a fact, a way of life. I knew that in every group, there was a chubby one, and I was it. This thinking brought me to the conclusion that physical activity was not for me. Therefore, when all of my friends were doing athletic things, like soccer, basketball, softball, ballet, or cheerleading…I would opt for a “chubby” thing to do. Afterall, though well meaning, I knew that they would laugh at me when I couldn’t do it as well as them. When I got to high school, my mom encouraged me to go out for the swim team. I did. I loved it. I was good at it. I set school records. I even dropped down to a tiny 115 pounds, unnoticed. However, it only took one sentence from a pissed off coach to remind me of my grounded place in this world, “get your fat ass across the pool.” Soon, swimming lost its glow. I quit.

Then, I met arianne. She was not a “chubby” she was an “athlete”. She encouraged me to run, and all things changed for me. Like a religion I ran….daily 5 miles. Endurance running has become as familiar to me as my faith. I straw from time to time…drawn away by time and responsibilities, but I long to feel it again. I love it. It changes me. I feel proud.

I have put in nearly 12 years of running…and yet, when I see another runner…or someone talks to me about a marathon, I shy away, thinking, “I am not that girl. I am not a real runner, it’s just something I like to do.” The first impression of myself taints decisions. Sometime, though, our first impressions are wrong. I believe I am a runner afterall.