My Running Story: Megan Radke
When did you start running?
I didn’t really start running until 2020. As is the story for many people, during the pandemic I found myself unable to go to a traditional gym as I’d been accustomed to for the last several years. I was now working from home, spending all my time at home, and although my boyfriend and I had figured out a pretty solid fitness routine we could do in our garage, I still felt like I needed something more, and he was/is my biggest cheerleader.
As someone whose passion is the outdoors, I can hike for miles, I can carry pounds of gear on my back during a backpacking trip. I’m fit, and I’m strong, and yet I couldn’t run. I participated in track in junior high and high school (many, many years ago) as a sprinter, and as part of my adult workout routines I would always warm up with a very slow, painful mile on the treadmill, but there was still something in my brain that told me I just wasn’t a runner.
I’ve realized now that that mindset came from knowing that running was going to be a challenge for me. I wanted to be a runner, I was just scared of failing along the way. 2020 made me face that. I knew if I wanted to feel like I was getting the exercise I wanted and needed, I was going to have to learn how to run, or at least try. “Try” is the keyword.
Running didn’t come easy, at all, but slowly, and through many sweaty hours, days, weeks, and months of run/walk intervals, I started to find myself excited about the next day’s training, I began to realize that, to my complete surprise, I CAN run. Soon enough, I finished my first 5k, running the entire time. Then I did it again, and again. Then, I eventually conquered a 10k, and so on.
Today I can’t imagine my life without running, this simple movement of my body, that brings me so much joy.
What inspires you to be active? What do you love the most about running?
I’m inspired to be active because I know that I’m doing something good for my body and for my mind. Being active is self-care for me, plus, it’s just fun!
I love running because of how it makes me feel while I’m doing it and how it makes me feel after the fact. Running has helped me be significantly kinder to myself and appreciate what my body can do. I’ve always struggled with a variety of insecurities about my appearance, as does most everyone at some point in their life, but running has made me leave a lot of those in the dust. Running has shown me that my little body is capable of doing things that I never thought it could do. It’s powerful! I’m powerful!
Running overall just makes me happy as It clears my head and lowers my stress. Whether it’s a small neighborhood park, or catching a glimpse of a roadrunner or squirrel along the sidewalk, getting outside for a run on any average day allows me to appreciate more of the little things in my own backyard.
What lessons have you learned from running?
I’ve learned so many lessons from running. Where do I begin? Running has taught me to be more open to trying new things, that even if I have my doubts, it’s worth a try. Running has shown me that I’m capable of a lot more than I think, to be humble, to work hard, to enjoy the process, to accept hardships and not see them as failures. That’s been a really important lesson for me. For a long time, in a past life, I would quit something if I perceived that I wasn’t good at it but being “good” at running is totally relative for the average person.
Even when I first got started running, I’d get really down on myself for a slow day, or a day when I just wasn’t feeling it and had to stop and walk. I would beat myself up, “Why am I backsliding? What is wrong with me?” It took me powering through those doubts to realize that those questions are irrelevant. I’m still out there trying. I’m still out there running, and that’s all that matters. It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you are, you’re doing the thing for you. You’re running your own race.
Running has taught me to focus on the present moment. I’ve learned how to listen to my body, but also to never forget that even when I feel like I’ve got nothing left, that if I dig deep enough, there’s almost always going to be enough gas in the tank to gut it out. Obviously that doesn’t have to just apply to something physical but in whatever you might be experiencing in your daily life as well.
How have the Andiamo challenges motivated/inspired you?
The Andiamo challenges have greatly helped my consistency. I love having that goal mileage number to hit by the end of the month. The challenges motivate me to get outside, or on the treadmill, and to move, to remember that every single mile counts. I’ve even started making more time to slow down and take my dog on longer walks than usual, which she loves just as much as I do, because again, every step is that much closer to the goal.
I love being part of the Andiamo Challenge groups on Strava and seeing everyone’s progress. It’s so inspiring seeing people from all over the place, from so many backgrounds, with varying levels of experience, getting after it day after day. I really enjoy not only seeing the miles people are racking up, but seeing all the photos, all the smiling faces, makes me really happy and inspires me to lace up my shoes and get going because I want to be having that much fun too!
Share anything else that you want to include in your story!
I just want to keep running, to keep going.
I’ll never forget one early, hot, and humid morning last summer when I set out to run before work and I passed my boyfriend on the sidewalk as he was walking the dog. When I got back home, I was feeling great, and he said, “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen you running with a smile on your face.” I hadn’t even realized it but I think it was that day that I reached a bit of a turning point. I was finally having fun, and that’s not something I had previous thought was possible. Every single one of my runs where I’m having fun is an accomplishment to me. No one is greater than the other!
Currently I’m training for a half-marathon that I hope to complete during the fall. I’m also hoping to get into trail running soon but, as I’ve learned so far in my running journey, one mile at a time.
Thanks for being part of the Andiamo running community, Megan! And thank you for sharing your running story with us! ¡Muchas gracias por ser parte de nuestra comunidad! In addition to being a runner, Megan is also an outdoorswoman, storyteller and conservationist. Follow her adventures on Instagram #Keepruning #keepgoing #yocorroeveryday
