Name: Meghan McEwen
Home: St. Catharines, ON
Age: 32
Life before running
It's hard to determine exactly when it started. I remember as a child hearing stories of my uncle running marathons and feeling an overwhelming sense of excitement. Can people really run that far? How does one run for hours and hours on end?
The years passed and the most I ever ran was to my friend's house and back. As I approached the end of my last year at university, I entered my first race. It was a 5 km dash that started just outside of my apartment in downtown St. Catharines. I remember not knowing where to pin the bib with my name and number so I stuck it on my back. When I blew through the finish line they couldn't call my name because they couldn't see it. In retrospect, I should have come through running backwards. Lesson learned.
Turning Point
Several years pass again and my thirtieth birthday is fast approaching. I'm now in complete awareness and it's a fact...the marathon I always envisioned running had never happened. I had been introduced to yoga and was enjoying all one hundred classes a week but my running had somehow been swept under the mat.
At the same time, my relationship with my boyfriend had fallen apart before my eyes, I wasn't present at work and I was smoking cigarettes like it was nobody's business. I was in a rut. I remember thinking, "Who am I?" and "this isn't me." So I started running. I ran to feel something, to not feel anything and to be alone. I ran every day, working myself from 5 minutes up to 20 and eventually 30 minutes. I was running!
The Plan
I entered a few races in Niagara and was having the time of my life. What an amazing feeling being around hundreds of people all sharing the same passion. With nobody to show me the ropes, I had a few slip-ups with race etiquette but I was quickly learning.
The small races were awesome but I needed more. I needed a half marathon to bump up my distance and prove to myself that I was serious about this running business. I googled a half training plan from a running site. I printed it off and carried it everywhere with me. I was going to finish a half if my life depended on it. I followed the training religiously kilometre for kilometre, mile for mile. I was a carbohydrate-eating machine that was buying new runners every twelve weeks. I signed up for a race with my family in my hometown of Peterborough. I was running with my uncle who I always admired, my aunt and two cousins. I met my goal of under two hours and was now a distance runner!
The Biggest Reward
I knew that if I could run 21.1 km, I could run 42.2 km. Right? "Why the heck not?" is what I thought. Tempted by this so called "hitting the wall" phenomenon, I wanted to experience it for myself. How can your body just shut down only for your mind to pull you across the finish line?
It was decided. I printed off another training program for a full marathon and once again carried it everywhere. I would eat, breath and sleep running. That's all I thought about and all I talked about. The world was holding me accountable because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. It was on! Seven months later I ran my first marathon and two more within that same year. I was addicted to the distance and the challenge. I met who I really was every time in the last six miles of the marathon. It was my true essence - the person you find when you have to dig deep and search within. That person pulled me across the finish line that day and every time after. I was out of the rut and living in the "now!"
I will run forever, to find myself and lose myself but most of all to know myself. This is my soul.
My tips for success
1. Join a running group or club
Running with a group not only motivates you on those days when you'd rather hit the couch but keeps you accountable. When you're accountable to others you won't want to let them down by not being there. There is nothing better than meeting new people all sharing a common interest. New friends, more connections and increased esteem does the body good.
2. Clear your mind in the miles
Instead of going for a run to solve the world's problems, just breath. This is your personal time to relax, enjoy and be free. Try and focus on where you are, what's around you and how great it is you are exercising. I often call it "losing miles" in longer runs as I am so relaxed it's as if I am meditating.
3. Positive self talk...it's the way we roll
If you want to make positive changes in your life you have to be deliberate. When negative thoughts begin creeping in just gently bump them away. Create space for positive thoughts and self talk. Make a mantra that is personalized to you. When I run hills I say in my head, "I love hills. I eat hills for breakfast!" You can take this into your personal life when you hit a rough patch, a challenging time or an uncomfortable situation.
