I would first like to start off with a disclaimer saying that I am not a runner. I use to swim in high school, and on the days where we had dry land (where we would run, do lunges or basically any other type of cruelty our coach wanted to see us go through that week), my friends and I would try to hide in the locker rooms, so we wouldn’t have to run. Trust me, watching a bunch of swimmers try to run around a track is basically like watching a baby giraffe try to ice skate, but it’s not that cute. I mean, the pool is built for clumsy people, right?

Running had never been something I was good at, which was very upsetting to my super athletic family who would run 15k (9.3 miles) for fun. My grandma, the bad ass of the family, is 87 years old and just hung up her running shoes from joining in on the Traverse City Cherry Festival Run that happens every year. Most 87-year-olds can barely make it from one part of the house to the other, and my grandma, we call her Oma, it’s a German thing, can run a 5k in a half an hour. Yes, this is the part where you feel guilty about not getting a work out in every day.

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One year, my uncle forgot his running shoes and only had penny loafers. But, not to be outdone by his younger brothers, he ran the race in his penny loafers and came seriously close to beating them. If that isn’t commitment, I don’t know what is.

My aunt, a personal trainer, is in her 50s and can still beat some hot shot 30 year-olds in a triathlon. I’m telling you, my family is built for this stuff.

Don’t even get me started on my dad. The guy who can run six miles no problem and still eat a huge bowl of ice cream every single night.

Running is in my blood, my DNA. So, when I quit swimming, I had to figure out another way to burn off the thousands of calories I normally shed in the pool. That’s when I sucked it up, found a snug sports bra and picked up my running shoes.

The first week sucked a lot. The only thing I was focusing on was not dying, and no, I’m not joking. I would literally tell myself as I was rounding a corner, “Please don’t die here, there are too many people I know who would see my life end like this.”

I could barely make it a mile the first time I strapped on my shoes. I was out of breath, red as a tomato and had to find another way to burn off calories because I wasn’t running enough to make it count.

As the weeks moved forward and I stuck with it, I actually noticed myself improving. When I wasn’t thinking about dying, I was thinking about my life. You know how people like to take showers a lot because it can give them the chance to actually think, but it’s hard because it’s not socially acceptable to take five showers a day? Well, those people need to run. I would think about everything. My life, what I’m doing, what I want to do, how I want to do it, different articles I want to write for Odyssey, a couple funny jokes. It was like having a clear mind for as long as I kept my body moving.

Yes, I was terrible at first, but now, even though I move about as fast as a turtle, I can make it five miles without stopping. Now, to all of you running enthusiast out there, leave me alone because I’m just starting, but, so far, and I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, I like running.

I like the sweat on my forehead, I like being out of breath as I tell myself that I can make it just one more mile and I like how I control how far I run and when I stop. I realized that I can push myself to limits I didn’t even know existed.

Ever have a bad day? Go for a run. Feel good? Go for a run. Need to think? Go for a run. Running can help solve your problems, burn calories and make you feel better all at once. It’s a way to escape from our world for as long as you can keep the pace.

You may not be good at it at first, but stick with it. I promise, the perseverance will take you far, just as long as you have the right shoes to match.