Author: Amy Begley
Published on: November 30, 2016
Running can be intimidating to those who don’t do it. For many, the hardest part of their fitness journey is taking that first step.
Stephanie Reynolds used to be overweight and was physically unable to run. She was jealous of the running community and all of the fun she saw others having. But she always found an excuse to prevent her from lacing up. Then in September 2013 she decided to make a change – she underwent weight loss surgery.
The day before Stephanie went under the knife, she made a list of non-scale victories she wanted to accomplish. On that list was running a 5K. Four months after surgery, she started the Couch-to-5K program. Stephanie says the first time she ran one mile without stopping was one of the proudest moments of her life.
From there, Stephanie found Atlanta Track Club’s training programs and worked her way up to running a marathon – the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon, which she ran in honor of her father’s 20 years of service. She ended up with an injury that prevented her from reaching her time goal, but she crossed the finish line. So she signed up for a second chance, the 2016 New York City Marathon.
Stephanie trained even harder and set an even higher goal for herself for New York. On race day, she felt strong and knew she could hit that goal. She even ended up exceeding it, and finished with a 52-minute PR! Shortly after crossing the finish line, she felt a shooting pain in her right foot and ended up leaving the event on crutches. However, Stephanie was still seen smiling in photos and enjoyed the entire race day experience.
Running has given Stephanie the confidence to tackle anything she sets her mind to. And the running community that once made her so jealous? That community is now like a family to her. A community that she is always willing to go the extra mile to serve.
Don’t be afraid to set big goals. Find your confidence, work hard, and you just may surprise yourself with how far your running journey will take you.