Three years and 26.2 miles later, I still think about the day that I woke up and ran from Dodger Stadium to the Santa Monica Pier.
If you know me at all, I despise running with every fiber of my being. Nothing makes me feel uglier than and there is nothing I hate more to do. So you may be asking yourself, why would I ever run a marathon? I can tell you now, that three years and few months later, I still don't have an answer to that question.
If there is one person to thank (or hate, just kidding) for making me run the marathon, that would be my trainer Micah. He was well aware of my hatred for running, especially since every time I was at the gym he made me run, and I would then spend 20 minutes trying to convince him out of making me run. The one day he said to me, "Jordyn, why don't we run the LA marathon?" I looked at him, laughed, and then completely changed the subject. The next week I find myself signing a paper to confirm I am running a marathon for a charity and I had no idea how I got myself there.
Between the six months of training and raising money for this incredible charity called Center for Assault Treatment Services, one might think I would have come to love running, or at least appreciate it more, but no, I never did. I always hated it, but I liked the ability I had to tell stories and laugh with Micah and the feeling I got every time I got an email that another person donated money and believed in a cause that became so dear to my heart.
When the day of the marathon came, I couldn't believe I was actually waking up to run 26.2 miles. It felt surreal that the day I had been training for was finally here.
From the minute I went over the starting line to the minute I finished, I was not enjoying the act of running, but I had Micah by my side to keep my spirits up and to entertaining me as the hours and miles went by.
My 22 was when the tears really hit. I was done. I had no idea why I put myself in this position. I did not stop crying until I crossed that finish line and knew I would never have to run ever again in my life, because that is a promise I had made to myself and a promise I have yet to break three years later.
Working out is something I am not the biggest fan of, but I have found other ways besides running to get good cardio in, such as taking a spin class. I just feel that after running 26.2 miles on one day and god knows how many miles I ran training for that one day, I never need to take another run again.
Some people may think I am insane for running a marathon when I hate running, and by all means let them think that. I probably am insane, but then again, I will always be able to say that: I, Jordyn Summer Stupp, avid hater of running, ran and complete the Los Angeles Marathon of 2013.
The one thing I can take away from my experience and I hope others will be able to also, is that hating something, even something as simple and trivial as running, or something more serious, is okay, and sometimes you may have to do things you hate. But, there are ways to find pleasure in the hatred, like me, who found joy in the stories and time I got to spend with Micah, who became a mentor to me, and for feeling so wonderful that I was able to help out an amazing charity.
I am by no means saying that everyone should go run a marathon, but if you hate running and you find yourself somehow in a place where you signed up for one and have no idea how you got there, I can promise you that it will turn out just fine, but to prepare to be more sore than you have ever been in your entire life.
