“And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” -Romans 5:3-5
If I were to tell high school Kayla that we’d have run three half-marathons at 24 years old, she would most definitely laugh in my face. For high school Kayla, running was the bane of my existence. High school Kayla thought she had asthma (turns out she just didn’t know how to breathe through her stomach and not her throat), so my lungs were the first barrier to enjoying running. The only time high school Kayla ever ran was in basketball practice, and usually ran a lot more than other girls as a result of making less free throws, which meant running more suicides. Running because I was bad at my free throws was another barrier to enjoying running.
I remember in high school dreading anytime there was some sort of function with a 5K run. I had to run for a fundraiser my senior year of high school, also the last day of basketball tryouts, and I’d never been more winded in my life. I had to take multiple breaks and fight through cramps and a pure hate for running, and was convinced that no one actually enjoys running. They’re either faking it or just a psychopath. But I secretly wanted to be one of those psychopaths.
Enter post-basketball season, the summer of senior year. My diet consisted mostly of pulled pork sandwiches from being at 5+ grad parties every weekend, one too many smoothies from my job at Robeks, and of course, Cleveland’s finest, Mitchell’s ice-cream. This diet, combined with not having any structured workouts, led me to maybe give the whole running thing another try. And so, I laced up my shoes, redownloaded Map My Run, and ended up going for a grand total of, you guessed it, 3 whole runs that summer.
The first semester of my freshman year at UD I became an elliptical girlie. My dad’s go-to cardio, I thought maybe it could be mine too. And I did really enjoy the elliptical! However, during winter break of that freshman year at my physical, I discovered I had gained (a measly) 4 pounds. I genuinely thought I was having a quarter-life crisis of potentially gaining the freshman 15.
This very unhealthy fear made me very determined to be a runner. And quite honestly, I still hated it. Unfortunately, the fear of gaining weight was stronger than my hate for running, so I kept at it. I would run 2-4 miles every other day, but these runs left me feeling beat. I was underfueling, not stretching, and had been so accustomed to running in basketball, where every run is a sprint.
I can’t say that this era of my running journey gave glory to God. Once again, I viewed running as a punishment. I did not enjoy how it made me feel, especially because my body did not have enough sustenance to give me the energy I needed for a run. While it was unhealthy, I had gotten so used to it that it became a habit.
This isn’t to say I hated every single run. I enjoyed getting a new pair of running shoes, or making running playlists (meaning, running to the “Rocky” soundtrack), but I never thought I could be someone that enjoyed running. Someone that could just run 13.1 or 26.2 miles for fun.
The second semester of my junior year, the Lord broke through. I made a real commitment to overcome my eating disorder, which was by no means night and day, but I slowly began to provide my body with more calories it needed to give me energy for my workouts.
I also was instructed by my doctor to try running slower, so as to heal my body from all the damage I’d done over the past few years. I found it quite relaxing to not go hard in the paint on every single run. From slowing down my pace a bit and having proper fuel, it became much easier to run more than 4 miles, something I never thought would be possible. Running was becoming tolerable.
That same semester I started dating my now husband, Tom. I would see Tom run around campus all of the time. He even ran at 10:30 on a Monday night after I asked him for coffee because he was so excited! I saw Tom’s love for running and was inspired that maybe running for me could not only be tolerable, but even enjoyable!
Tom helped me to pick out a new pair of running shoes, shoes that were specific for my feet and running goals, and we began to go on runs together. My favorite pairs of running shoes have been the Nike Pegasus and Asics NOVABLAST, both linked in the description, but I recommend going to a store and seeing what works best on your feet!
Tom and I weren’t trying for some goal, just wanting to enjoy each other’s company at a pace where we could still talk to each other. I vividly remember the day we ran together on my first 7 mile run, the farthest I’d ever run! I did need a long bathroom break around mile 5, but I was so overjoyed and thankful to the Lord that He helped me run so far. That was my first runner’s high.
I remember Tom telling me if I can run 7, I can run a half marathon. I still thought this was crazy. I was so winded after 7! But I continued to just run for fun, and give it all to the Lord. Going home that semester for the summer, I began my Lake Road runs. The house I grew up in is a 5 minute drive to Lake Erie, and being able to run by the lake gave a whole new joy to running.
This is not all to say that the journey was completely fabulous. I’ve had to figure out that I actually don’t have asthma and that my breathing struggles were due to using my throat and not my stomach, falling on a few runs and calling for my brother to pick me up (this happened one too many times I’m just very clumsy), or just having runs that don’t feel good.
I had to learn how to properly recover from runs. Not stretching led to tendonitis in my achilles and my hip at different times. With the help of incorporating proper stretching techniques specific to runners, I was able to not only avoid injury, but feel stronger on my runs.
I also had to understand the importance of electrolytes after runs, especially the more I increased my mileage. Days where I had longer runs I got terrible headaches and experienced really bad fatigue. While my all time favorite Glacier Freeze Gatorade was so satisfying after a long run, I randomly discovered the beauty of Zyn! And no, not the nicotine pouches! Zyn is a tumeric based electrolyte drink that is filled with Vitamin C, D, and Zinc to help reduce inflammation and support recovery after a workout. While it’s been great for my headaches, it’s also delicious and a great immunity boost to add to your day! I’ve linked a variety pack of Zyn electrolytes here.
Through overcoming these headaches, injuries, and runs that make you want to quit, I learned that the bad runs make the good runs great. Granted, you shouldn’t run if you are actually injured, and sometimes you do just need to walk home. But finishing those runs where you need to take 5 breaks, the runs where you feel like you can’t breathe, the runs where you want to give up 30 seconds in, are all worth it. I think it builds discipline not only as a runner, but in all aspects of life, as emphasized in these verses from Romans 5:3-5:
“And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
Being able to run further distances had a beautiful impact on my faith in God, and what God can do through me. As mentioned earlier, I only ever thought I would be able to run 2-4 miles on any given run. However, through learning how to pace myself, listening to some great podcasts, having my sister bike behind me, and surrendering everything to Jesus, 7 miles turned to 8 that summer, 8 turned to 9, 9 turned to 10, and 10 turned to, “Let’s just sign up for a half marathon!”
I vividly remember two runs where my sister, Lizzy, was biking behind me that summer. The first was an aggressively humid July day, a Saturday where I was feeling a bit sore, and I could barely finish three miles and took many breaks to catch my breath, which I felt bad holding Lizzy back on her bike. I was so defeated and cried after that run, feeling like I would never be able to be a long distance runner and hit my next goal, which was 9 miles at the time.
About two weeks later, I had Lizzy follow me again, and pace me to run slower my first few miles. And let me tell you- my pace was much slower than what I was used to. But, I was able to knock out 10 miles, something I never thought I could have accomplished! I believe that pushing through that terrible 4 mile run absolutely helped me to finish strong during this 10 mile run.
My first half marathon I ran with Tom. It was the Air Force half-marathon in Dayton, and I would never recommend this race to anyone for their first half or full marathon. It was definitely military difficult- a hot September day and the hills were never ending. There weren’t many people cheering and there was not much to look at. Thankfully I had “Rocky IV” on my phone to distract me.
At mile 9, I remember praying there would be no more hills until I saw the biggest hill of the course. I fast forwarded “Rocky IV” to when Rocky is actually fighting Drago, groaned a prayer, took some water from one of the volunteers, and made my way up that treacherous hill. I thought of all those runs that were beautiful, all of those runs that were terrible, and knew I could keep going- as Rocky would say, “Go the distance.”
The feeling of euphoria at the end of that half marathon was amazing. The combination of not running anymore after running for nearly 2 hours, drinking cold Gatorade, and accomplishing something I had counted myself out on years before was incredible.
Running also taught me, as the angel proclaimed in Luke 1:37, “For nothing will be impossible for God.” Sometimes, I don’t believe in myself, but God always believes in me. Maybe I had difficult runs so God could show me I can overcome and finish these runs through His strength.
I have run two other, much more enjoyable half marathons, since the Air Force marathon. However, after my most recent marathon in May 2024, I have taken my foot off the pedal a bit from my running journey, in a different journey to get my period back. Unfortunately, running put a bit too much stress on my body to be able to recover from amenorrhea, so I’ve been running just a few times a week, no more than 3 and a half miles- another thing I have to keep surrendering to God, trusting that He blesses everything we surrender.
What’s great about running 3.5 miles is that it’s the perfect distance to pray a Rosary! While I love blasting some of the “Rocky” soundtrack or zoning out to a good podcast, these quick runs allow me to cultivate silence, focus on my breath, listen to the birds, and pray a Rosary. In a world that is ever rushing with noise, these Rosary runs have allowed me to start off my day with God instead of something in my ear that can often take me away from being present in each day.
The point of this blog is not necessarily to inspire you to run- God made each of our bodies uniquely, and we’re all going to differ in what interests us. Rather, I hope that through reading this, you are inspired by the Holy Spirit to pursue something that scares you or intimidates you, but is a dream God has put on your heart. In high school, I was so intimidated by running, but I saw the joy others had from the sport and longed to enjoy it myself. Cool things happen when you start surrendering everything in your life to God.
Maybe it’s consistently going to the gym and lifting weights, or joining a rec sports league that the Spirit is moving you towards. Maybe it’s not even fitness related, but it’s finally trying to make your own sourdough bread, or doing an improv class, or starting your own business. Give yourself grace in the process, trusting in God and knowing that the setbacks are sometimes what sets us up the most. When we endure trials, we have to remember that surrendering everything to God allows us to, “boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
I would love to hear how running, or trying something new you didn’t think you could do, has blessed your own life. In my running journey, I hope to be able to run another half marathon one day, and even a full marathon could be awesome! I don’t know when, but if I’ve learned anything from my running journey, I can always have hope as my anchor- because “hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts.”
