I Am Officially Fearless

My mom once told me a story about something that happened when I was a small child. I was maybe 3 or 4 and was with my mom at the grocery store. A kindly older gentleman came up to us and started talking to me. At one point he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Having recently made my first overseas trip, I apparently answered that I wanted to work on an airplane. The man said "Oh - you want to be a stewardess?" I'm told my reaction was to be a little confused and respond, "No. I want to fly the plane." From an early age, it never occurred to me that I couldn't do anything I wanted just because I was female.

What is the purpose of telling this story? After all this is a blog about running. I tell this story to illustrate why I've been an admirer of Kathrine Switzer since I learned about her years ago. If you don't know who Switzer is, take a moment to read about her. I have been lucky enough to hear her speak on more than one occasion, and last April I gave her a copy of my book because I had mentioned her in it. To my surprise, she read it. The whole thing. She even wrote me more than once telling me how much she was enjoying it. I was flabbergasted and beyond honored. And then one day she writes me that she was in the process of starting a new movement that she thought I would be perfect for. 261 Fearless is a community of women who find strength in running and encouraging each other. The purpose of the group is lift up other women and help them discover how running can be an outlet for strength. A few weeks ago I was informed that I was selected to be an inaugural 261 Fearless ambassador. 

This honor means a lot to me. Showcasing how strong and powerful women are has always been a passion of mine and running was something I've done almost since before I could walk. This was a match made in heaven. I'm proud to be part of this organization. But there's another reason why I feel called to join this movement and it has to do with what running has done for me.

In 2002 I successfully completed the Chicago Marathon. It was my first attempt at 26.2 miles. The day I ran my first marathon was one of the best days of my life. It was a sweet victory because I wasn't entirely sure I could do it. As a matter of fact, I didn't sign up for the race until I'd been training for almost 2 months. Back in those days you could do that. But it was what happened after the marathon that changed my life.

Perhaps it's time to share part of my running story.

You see after I successfully finished the marathon, I had a realization. For the first time, I believed that I could do whatever I set my mind to. I was never sure that was the case up until that point. It's not that I had low self-confidence. I was confident at the things I was good at, but I was always a little scared to do things that were hard for me. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have attempted to go to graduate school without that running victory. I know I wouldn't have attempted studying business - a subject that I had no background in as a undergrad. And one that required courses in math-heavy subjects like finance and accounting. I'm not sure I would have been brave enough to buy my own home or take up the sport of triathlon. My outlook on what I am capable of completely changed after I finished that marathon back in 2002. Years later, I got a tattoo on my wrist that serves as a reminder of the fact that I am stronger than I might believe on some days...and that it all stemmed from running one race. 

So now as a 261 Fearless ambassador, I hope I can assist, inspire and encourage other women to find their strong. I want to help other women realize what I did after I crossed that finish line years ago. After all, there will be days I think I'm not able to run a marathon...but I have a lifetime of knowing that I have.