How I Went From the Sofa to a Marathon

Welcome back to my fitness blog, fitness-journey-online. My name is Michelle, and today I want to share something personal about my recent sports adventure. A few months ago, I was sitting on my sofa in Austin, eating pizza, and watching television. All of a sudden, I decided that my life needed a serious change. I needed to head for the outdoors and do something completely different.

People always ask me how I started running long distances. The truth is stranger than you might think. For many years, I had been avoiding any kind of running because of a terrible memory from school. When I was eight years old, I fell down during a sports day race, and all the other kids laughed at me. Since that day, I had been telling myself that I was simply not built for sports or athletics.

However, last autumn, my friend Sam suggested we try something crazy together. We signed up for the Austin Spring Marathon. At first, it was terrifying. During my very first week of training, I got terrible blisters and felt like I couldn't breathe after just one mile. I wanted to quit immediately and stay inside.

My preparation required a lot of discipline. I started following a strict training plan with my friend Samantha, who joined our group later. We built up our stamina slowly, running around Lady Bird Lake every Tuesday morning. We learned how to pace ourselves instead of running too fast at the beginning. If we felt tired, we drank special sports drinks and took short walking breaks.

By month three, things started to change. I noticed that my body was getting stronger, and my old anxiety was disappearing. I even bought a new pair of professional running shoes and joined a local running club near my office. The other members were very welcoming, and I didn't feel like an outsider at all.

When race day finally arrived, my stomach was full of butterflies. Thousands of people lined the streets to cheer us on with loud music and homemade signs. My colleagues from the marketing agency where I work came out to support me, holding a banner with my name on it.

During the final miles, I hit the wall and wanted to stop, but I remembered how hard I had worked. Crossing the finish line was the most emotional moment of my life. I received a heavy metal, hugged Samantha, and cried tears of joy.

If you are sitting on your sofa right now and thinking that you cannot change, remember my story. You do not need to be a natural athlete to achieve something great. You just need to take the first step, trust the process, and never give up on yourself.

Read again and choose the right answer

Why had Michelle been avoiding running for many years?

• She had a bad knee injury from dancing.
• She fell down during a school race when she was eight.
• She never had enough time in her schedule.

Who originally suggested that Michelle and Sam should run a marathon?

• Her friend Sam
• Her colleague Samantha
• Her running coach in Austin

Where did Michelle and her friends build up their stamina?

• Around a local shopping mall in downtown Austin
• Inside a modern gym in Seattle
• Around Lady Bird Lake every Tuesday morning

What happened when race day finally arrived for Michelle?

• She overslept and missed the start of the race.
• Her colleagues came to support her with a banner.
• She decided to drop out before the finish line.

Sources: photo by Heriberto Jahir Medina on Pexels