Kacy Sandidge Ellis is a 30-year-old sales professional.
When did you start running?
I started running in the fall of 2012.
Why did you start running?
After the birth of my second child, I needed to reclaim my body and identity. As a child, I was overweight and was never particularly athletic. After having two children close in age, my BMI was in the obesity range, and I was struggling with depression and anxiety.
I decided to run because it was an easy and convenient way to exercise, and I wanted to become healthy to set a positive example for my children. My daughter's preschool was hosting a 5K as a fundraiser, and I used this as an opportunity to jump-start a running routine. I made it my goal to run the whole course and gave myself three months to work up to that distance using the Couch to 5K® program.
How has running changed your life?
After a year of running, most people noticed my weight loss—50 pounds in a year! But the biggest change to my life was actually a mental change. Running gave me a sense of purpose and helped me face my anxieties. Now if I need a pick-me up, I go for a run. If I have a problem to work through, I'll use my daily run to think about how to solve it. Even if I don't come to a resolution during my run, I'll feel better about facing the troubling situation.
Running was there for me during one of the most difficult experiences of my life: the sudden and tragic murder of my mom in 2013. In many ways training for and running my first marathon helped me work through my grief, and I know I was able to face everything better as a runner than the depressed person I was before I started running.
What encouraging words or advice would you give to someone who wants to start running?
Start slowly and continue to set small goals to challenge yourself. These goals can be to achieve a new distance or a new time at a set distance. Goals will keep the sport fresh. Next, make running a routine. Get out there every day and move. Even if you only run every other day or can't run every day at first, keep that time blocked out, and use it to walk, bike or move your body in some way.
Finally, run for yourself and not for a number on the scale. Before running was a regular part of my life, I had tried running to lose weight but got off track because my focus was on the scale instead of running itself. It sounds counter-intuitive, but when I made exercise part of a bigger health and lifestyle picture, I was finally able to lose the weight.
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