Today’s a5K Story was submitted by Daniel Inman.
My story starts as a personal bet with myself. I’ve never considered myself competitive, but the realization that I was not setting the standard for the students I teach and coach led me to running again. Understand that I am not a competitive person in relation to competitions with other people; however, I am in constant competition with myself and what I believe I can do.
Even though I had run a bit in high school, through college, and in the army, I had not kept up with it as a physical education teacher. Over the past several years, I’ve coached a running club of students in which they run twice a week for around 10 weeks before running a local 5k.
In this, I’ve learned that a fair amount of my students (who are between 8 and 10 years olds) can out run me in something this simple. This may sound petty, but I decided in late 2011 to take a challenge upon myself. That challenge was to run consistently and put in a good effort with my running group.
About the same time this happened, Bull City Running in Durham decided to have a competition based on who could run the most consecutive days without stopping in addition to tweeting about it daily. Also, I joined a group of friends in running 2-3 times a week in different locations around the triad. The WooHoo Crew (the running group) along with the Bull City Running Streak have been instrumental in turning me from a sometimes runner into a good runner with aspirations at being better.
I am in constant competition with myself and what I believe I can do.
With the support of many friends, I have knocked off personal records (PRs) in several distances and am planning on running my first marathon with the Kiawah Island Marathon in December. As a result of my students, I am becoming the runner I’ve thought about and wished for since high school.
Their dedication and enthusiasm for running have made it a priority for me to lead the way. I need and am trying to live the lifestyle I hope to teach my students about. A healthy, active lifestyle that provides emotional, social, and physical benefits in many different ways. This progress has definitely been a long time coming.
Got thoughts on Anywhere5K Daniel’s a5K story? Share ‘em below, post ‘em on Facebook, Tweet us @anywhere5k, or send us an e-mail at a5k@anywhere5k.com.
